ŜåΚũńőş Ċőřńëř
by OrangeAce
Summary: Chap 5 UP! She wasn't aware that stepping up would lead to a landmine of jealousy, rivalry, and betrayal. All she knew was that she was doing all this for them. But little did she know that they were willing to risk as much for her. — TezukaSakuno
1. Seigaku's Number One Fan

■▪□▫**ŜåΚũńő'ş Ċőřńëř▫□▪  
**by: _OrangeAce_

* * *

**A/N:** This is the _edited _version of Sakuno's Corner. I reread the original one I wrote, and it made me go 'blech' with the number of grammatical errors and etcetera. Rest assured this version is of more quality. Writing style and order of events changed, but main themes are still present. By the way, this story takes place three years after the series. Sakuno is fifteen-years old and now enters Seishun Gakuen High School alongside her senpai-tachi whose ages range from sixteen to eighteen. Oh, and Ryoma is here but will _not _be Sakuno's pair.

This is my second take on the story, and hopefully it would turn out much better. I'm open to constructive criticisms, suggestions and comments. Nonsensical flames will be ignored.

_**Read on!**_

* * *

THE NEWSPAPER CIRCLE

* * *

**Seigaku's No.1 Fan**  
**chapter 1**

In the heart of Tokyo was Seishun Gakuen, an academy that prided itself with talented and well-equipped tennis players. Every day, both during the mornings and late afternoons, the tennis courts were filled with resounding 'poks' that signified the club's practice. The entire tennis club was well-deserving of praise for their hard work and determination to grow. Everyone did their best and had all intentions to make a difference, especially the tennis regulars.

Seishun Gakuen wouldn't be prominent for tennis if it weren't for their regulars who strived and struggled to perfect their moves every day. They were the elites who can silence the club with their mere entrance (what more when engaged in a game), touched the hearts of young females in the school population, and ought to have more recognition for all efforts and accomplishments instead of mere displays of appreciation through bento and onigiri.

Now, there exists a girl, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, who had gone through the habit of bento-giving ever since her tennis interest had been piqued when she was twelve. She hung out in every practice almost every day at her fascination of the club and its activities. God knows how hard she even tried to play the sport. However, she wasn't really born to be in the courts and hold a racket. Her grandmother's genes in tennis had unfortunately not been passed on to her. So, she resorted into showing up in games and offering what she could instead.

But that was past.

Currently fifteen-years of age and enters Seishun Gakuen High School, Ryuuzaki Sakuno had long outgrown her fondness for tennis. At every after school practice, her face wouldn't be seen around anymore. True, she had found herself better things to do rather than offer bento and watch every practice; but whenever support was sought for in a game, Sakuno was sure to be present. It may be that her in-born clumsiness attested her utter hopelessness in tennis. Or perhaps the loss of her strong feelings towards a certain tennis prince kept her from continuing showing up in practices any longer. But Sakuno still remained to be the team's number one fan, and her adoration for the regulars never waned throughout the years.

And it was at that particular sunny morning that Sakuno's full-blown support was to resurface once more…

* * *

"I'm going to be late!" she cried, running as fast as her legs could bring her and ignoring the weird glances she received from the passers-by.

It was her first day in high school, the time for a fresh, good start. But here she was, still the same klutz back in middle school who was about to be late in her most important application yet. Honestly, who would take _thirty _minutes photocopying _five _sheets of school records? Only Ryuuzaki Sakuno.

Just when she turned around the corner, she accidentally bumped onto someone. In the next moment, the papers she took thirty, agonizing minutes photocopying floated down like withered autumn leaves. "I'm sorry!"

"Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno stiffened. It was a voice she knew from anywhere_. _

After several moments of telling herself that it wasn't the end of the world after bumping the person whom she thought it was (and the last person she would have wanted to bump)… Sakuno slowly looked up.

It was Seigaku's team captain, Tezuka.

Sakuno gasped and quickly bowed to hide the fierce blush on her face. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. When she was met with nothing but silence, she looked up to see if he was still there. And indeed he was. Mistaking his lingering gaze as a sign of annoyance, she reiterated rather fearfully, "I'm-I'm really sorry-"

Tezuka silenced her with the narrowing of his eyes. "It's okay," he replied impassively. This made Sakuno all the more uncomfortable… but not as uncomfortable when Tezuka squatted to pick up her papers on the ground.

After realizing what Tezuka was doing, she practically scampered on her feet to approach the scattered mess, fell on her knees and began picking papers, too. It was a bit windy despite the brightness of the morning that a few of the papers chose to dance with the wind. It was really comical to see Tezuka running around for _her_ papers (okay, maybe she exaggerated the last bit); her face was burning from embarrassment the entire time. When one paper was left to acquire, she was about to grab it when instead she grabbed Tezuka's hand.

Sakuno's blush intensified. She dropped his hand just as soon as she had grabbed it. "I-I'm sorry!" she apologized yet again.

Tezuka merely stood up from squatting position, and he seemed not at all pleased with how fidgety Sakuno was around him. Sensing the awkwardness of the moment, Sakuno stood up, too, with the documents finally secured in her hands. "Be more careful next time," he told the girl.

Sakuno blushed but nodded her head nevertheless. "Uhm… sorry again… and thank you, senpai…"

Tezuka acknowledged her response with a small nod. A few moments passed and when Sakuno seemed to have no intentions of stopping her fidgeting and moving on, he asked, "Why were you in such a hurry?"

And with that one question, all awkwardness dissipated. It made Tezuka wonder what it was that made the girl instantly brighten. Perhaps it was his sudden interest towards her? Not likely. Sakuno was far from being a fan girl of his. Or maybe his unusual talkativeness? But technically, asking just one question wasn't being talkative… though being Tezuka, maybe it was.

"I'm going to apply for the school newspaper, senpai."

"Aa," A corner of Tezuka's mouth slightly tugged upward.

At first, Sakuno thought her mind was playing tricks on her. But in the end, she decided it was definitely a potential smile. So bumping into Tezuka had brought some good after all; she found out that Seigaku's Iceman was actually capable of smiling. The next moments had been of not-so-discrete staring at Tezuka's lips.

Seeing the way Sakuno was gazing at him, he cleared his throat, "Well, good luck."

Sakuno couldn't help but return her senior's momentary smile. "Thank you…" she said sincerely, her discomfort slowly ebbing away. "I hope I get in." Her cheeks were a bit flushed from the coolness of the morning and at the fact that she was actually engaging herself in a conversation with _Tezuka-senpai _of all people!

The next instant had her taken aback.

Tezuka reached out to pat her head. "Do your best." Then he retracted his hand and began to walk his way to the tennis courts.

Sakuno, still dazed from Tezuka's random contact with her, wasn't able to compose herself immediately.

"Ryuuzaki, don't you have an application to worry about?"

Now that sent jolts to Sakuno's system. "I'm late!" And in the blink of an eye, she was off to the school newspaper's office.

Tezuka looked back to where Sakuno disappeared to and then headed off to his world.

* * *

"Geez, I never knew you'd grow this tall…" Momoshiro snickered after chugging the contents of his jug in one gulp. The tennis club had just finished their practice for the day. "Seems like Inui-senpai's advice of drinking three bottles of milk every morning worked after all."

Echizen pretended to have not heard a word his senpai said.

"To be honest, I'm glad you're practicing with us again," Momoshiro said with a goofy grin and ruffled Echizen's hair.

"You haven't changed at all, Momo-senpai," Ryoma muttered after freeing himself from Momoshiro's grasp.

Momoshiro laughed. "You too, Echizen. You too... Well, maybe except for the fact that you grew a foot over the years."

"Thank goodness Inui's idea of hell is over! Don't you think so, ochibi?!" Out of nowhere, Kikumaru suddenly glomped the living daylights out of their youngest teammate.

"You haven't changed too, senpai…" Ryoma coughed after Eiji released his hold and settled beside his kouhai. "Though if you've noticed, I'm not short anymore."

"Glad to be back, Echizen?" Fuji was by the door of the locker room with the rest of the members behind him. Tezuka was the last to enter, his expression unperturbed despite the sudden riot of hilarity and cheery greetings in the locker room.

"Where's Inui-senpai?" Momoshiro asked all of a sudden. He tossed his jug inside his duffel bag as he began working on his shoelaces. "He's not going to insist on us drinking that horrible juice, is he?"

"Inui?" A sadistic smile spread across Fuji's lips, having his cerulean eyes exposed as well. "He's taken care of." Fuji replied. He plopped himself beside the rest of his teammates and began drying himself with a towel.

"Now that's a change..."

Fuji turned towards Ryoma, with the towel still draped over his head. "What's a change, Echizen?"

"For once, you actually didn't want to drink Inui-senpai's juice." He smirked.

Oishi chuckled while he neatly folded his jersey and placed it inside his bag. "Well, you must know that Inui's blend had gotten more... erm... what's the right word... gotten…"

"More disgusting than ever."

Everyone blinked at Tezuka who was currently preoccupied with changing into his uniform.

"Did buchou just join our conversation?" Ryoma piped in amusedly which was merely responded by a blank gaze from Tezuka. "Heh. Buchou has changed, too."

"You can say that again." Fuji remarked with a smile. "He was surprisingly late for practice today, wasn't he?"

Laughter erupted in the room as Tezuka merely stared at his laughing teammates.

"Speaking of changes... I haven't seen Ryuuzaki-san around in practice today." Momoshiro said casually as he eyed Ryoma for any trace of reaction that could at least give him an idea of what happened. But, he was disappointed, for Ryoma was still as a stoic as ever.

"I've heard from sensei that she isn't much of a tennis fan anymore…" Oishi looked thoughtful. "She must have found better use of her afternoons now."

Tezuka had been silent the rest of the conversation.

"I think we can find out more about that change," Fuji said all of a sudden. "Sensei's coming."

There was a sudden knock on the door. After a chorused 'come in', the door creaked open. It was indeed Ryuuzaki Sumire. What bothered the regulars wasn't her presence, but at the fact that she looked solemn.

"Tezuka, I need to talk to you."

* * *

"Is she aware of this?"

Sumire looked at Tezuka as if he had just insulted the entire Ryuuzaki clan. "Of course. What kind of grandmother do you think I am?"

The young captain immediately apologized.

Sumire sighed. "It's alright. I apologize for being crankier recently... It's just that this newspaper business of hers is really important to her, and it's really awful of me to leave her at a time like this..."

Tezuka was impassive all throughout Sumire's explanation. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Prepare rigorously for the tournaments although I know you need not be told of that..." She fondly smiled at the tennis captain who, on the other hand, remained pokerfaced.

"Why have you called for me then, sensei?" Tezuka asked, now slightly confused.

"Take care of Sakuno for me while I'm gone, Tezuka."

That had Tezuka taken aback for a split moment, but the surprise had left his face in the blink of an eye.

"Sensei?"

"Keep her out of trouble and protect her. That's all I ask of you." Sumire's face softened. "Please."

The silence that ensued was excruciating to Sumire as she watched Tezuka appear as emotionless as ever. Only at his next few words did she feel relieved.

Tezuka nodded, "As her senpai, I promise."

* * *

"Your grandmother's heading to Qatar today?!"

Sakuno shushed Tomoka quiet when several heads turned their way at the outburst. They were currently on their way to homeroom class.

"But how is that possible? Didn't she say that she's going to be the one to personally tell you if you're proceeding to the next level of application or not?" Tomoka asked confusedly.

Sakuno smiled somewhat sadly. "I will still be able to see my name on the released list, Tomo-chan."

Tomoka rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm trying to point out, Sakuno-chan... The fact that she won't be here to help you out when she was the one who introduced you to this new way of 'supporting Seigaku' is what I'm trying to stress, thank you very much."

Sakuno's face darkened. "It's not like I can't handle things on my own—"

She was on the floor instantaneously, her books and papers already a cluttered mess in the hallway. A girl with long, black raven hair looked at her disgustedly, her presence looming over Sakuno like an enormous ogress. The girl was beautiful though, and she knew it... which explained the snotty and confident air she carried with her.

"Watch where you're going," Were her last words before stomping off to her level's floor.

After extending her help, "If only she wasn't a senior, I'd give her a piece of my mind!" Tomoka said through gritted teeth as they continued on their way to homeroom. "The nerve of that girl to bump you like that without even apologizing and helping you up!"

"I'm fine now, Tomo-chan," Sakuno assured softly. "Though I'm wondering who she is..."

"She's Watannabe Meira. Senior in Seishun Gakuen. President of Tezuka Kunimitisu's fan club." After receiving a queer glance from her best friend, "If you're wondering how I knew this, it's because there had been a recent meeting among the presidents of the Seigaku fan clubs."

"Oh." Sakuno nodded her head in understanding. "I take it that she likes Tezuka-senpai then."

As they entered class, Tomoka's eyebrows crunched at the disappointment she thought she heard in her friend's voice.

Homeroom passed by quickly, and the classroom still buzzed with chatter. The noisiest area was the desk of a certain tennis prince where the entire female population of I-2 gathered around, except Sakuno and Tomoka who were properly seated in their seats – Sakuno for the reason that she chose to engage herself in reading a book instead and Tomoka for the reason that she did not have enough energy to pursue her tennis prince in that horde of obsessing classmates.

"I don't know why, but there are an awful lot of things that's annoying me this morning... and I'm bored!"

After sparing her friend a concerned glance, Sakuno merely smiled then resumed reading her chosen book contentedly. Tomoka, on the other hand, had her gaze linger on her friend longer.

"But one thing amazes me..."

"Hmm?"

"You really are over him, aren't you?"

Sakuno stopped midway from flipping a page in her book. Tomoka had her eyebrows crunched together with a grin from ear to ear plastered on her face. She patiently waited through the awkward silence. After a moment, Sakuno securely set her book on the table to turn to her expectant friend. "Don't imply that I do not support Seigaku with that one fact," she said then happily returned to her book.

Tomoka shook her head in slight disbelief. "And I thought he was your knight in shining armour."

The classroom chatter vanished when the door slid open suddenly. The girls around Echizen's table were all instantly back in their proper seats. Tomoka straightened herself up. Sakuno put her book away. Expecting to be greeted by the sight of their Calculus teacher, they were surprised at who entered instead.

"Buchou?" Ryoma's eyes widened.

A wave of squeals immediately resounded in the classroom.

Standing erect in front of I-2 was Seigaku's famed captain, Tezuka. Sakuno was shocked to see her senpai in class, but she soon realized that the senior visited to have some business with Ryoma. After all, the regulars had finally reunited once more. It was a given fact that the entire tennis club would have been pumped up with the return of their beloved tennis prince.

She then decided to return to her book.

The ensuing silence unnerved Sakuno that she couldn't help herself but steal a glimpse of the captain from the corner of her book. It slightly bothered her that Tezuka remained where he was, with no one in class neither moving nor uttering another word. The boy simply looked around the classroom as if to spot a certain someone. It confused her why there was a need to look around the room when Ryoma was right in front of him. Only when his gaze landed on her did her blood run cold for reasons she did not know.

"Ryuuzaki."

All eyes were on Sakuno the next instant.

Tezuka started walking towards the still stunned Sakuno, and everyone swore that their classmate's face was going to be on fire any second now. The entire class silently watched the tennis captain approach Sakuno's desk slowly, each moment a wonder why he was even there. He stopped when he was right in front of her, and then brought out a white envelope.

Sakuno was utterly bewildered. "T-Tezuka-senpai?"

Tezuka's expression was blank as he stared at her, his eyes never leaving her burning face.

"Congratulations for making it to the interview for the editorial board, Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno blinked… and only found her voice several moments after. "For real?!"

* * *

_Students eligible in the application for the editorial board:_

_Watannabe Meira (Year 3-1)_

_Shinomura Saeki (Year 3-1) _

_Igahara Hikari (Year 3-1)_

_Misora Aki (Year 3-2)_

_Miyamae Megumi (Year 3-3)_

_Masuda Toshiro (Year 2-1)_

_Uchimura Kei (Year 2-1)_

_Sawada Haruko (Year 2-4)_

_Otake Kumi (Year 2-5)_

_Kaede Yue (Year 1-1)_

_Mitsumoto Aya (Year 1-1)_

_Ryuuzaki Sakuno (Year 1-2)_

_Takagi Akira (Year 1-3)_

_Natsume Ayame (Year 1-4) _

_Satsuke Suzuki (Year 1-4)_

_Note: Students will be pulled out for the interview any time tomorrow. Good luck to all!_

Sakuno couldn't believe her eyes. "It is for real…" she muttered, which earned her a random whack on the head. She turned to Tomoka who was just right beside her, having her usual giggling fits at the moment. "Mou… Tomo-chan. What was that for?"

Tomoka ceased her giggles and rolled her eyes. "Of course it's real! Don't tell me you didn't believe Tezuka-senpai when he said you passed!" Then she started giggling again. "You passed! Aren't you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy…" Sakuno sighed and continued to rub the place her friend had hit. The two were currently heading to the school gates to head home. They just finished looking at the bulletin board by the school newspaper's office for some verification of the news the entire I-2 heard that morning care of Seigaku's famed captain. "It's just that Tezuka-senpai visiting class is still hard to believe, you know…"

"Sakuno-chan. If you haven't realized, Tezuka-senpai descended two staircases from his floor just to say that you passed. At least give him a bit of appreciation!"

Sakuno gasped. "T-Tomo-chan! What made you think I do not appreciate Tezuka-senpai's gesture?"

"Well, you surely are acting like you don't," Tomoka replied accusingly, her face serious. "Even if it's really shocking that someone would do that, Tezuka-senpai of all people, you do have to admit that it was kind of sweet."

Sakuno instantly reddened. "T-There must be some reason why he did that…"

…_Didn't she say that she's going to be the one to personally tell you if you're proceeding to the next level of application or not…_

_Obaa-chan. _Sakuno stopped in her tracks. "I think the only reason why Tezuka-senpai did that is because—"

"He supports you." Tomoka's smile was devilish.

"W-What?" Sakuno sputtered. Everything in her head suddenly disappeared as the lone thought of _Tezuka_ (Seigaku's captain) supporting _her _(Seigaku's mere fan) reverberated in her mind.

"And you support them, right? That's why you wanted to apply in the first place…" Tomoka stated gently, a smile never leaving her face.

"Well, yes… I'm a mere fan—"

"Ah ah ah!" Tomoka wagged her pointer finger in front of her flushed best friend. "You should know by now how important support is in every game! I'm sure everyone had their own conclusions why you haven't appeared in the courts anymore. Though that couldn't be helped since you gave up on tennis a long time ago... But!" Tomoka grinned from ear to ear. "You're doing this to become a more independent, responsible, and self-accomplished girl..."

Sakuno couldn't help but return her friend's blinding smile as they went home side by side, the sunset painting the horizon a myriad of colours.

"…and of course to prove that you are indeed… Seigaku's number one fan."

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I believe it its shorter than the original, but certainly more meaningful (in my opinion anyway). I doubt anyone even remembers what the original was like. Anyhow! I'm glad that you guys made it this far into reading without falling asleep and whatnot. So, how was it??? Was it bad? Good? I hope Tezuka hadn't appeared OOC with his randomly entering Sakuno's classroom. But be reminded that our beloved captain doing that has something to do with his promise to Sumire. It's like… he's taking Sumire's place as of that moment. And perhaps… something else? Haha. Well, I hope everyone got this chapter! Review please! If anyone has questions, don't be afraid to ask!

**Up next: **Extra! Extra! Hear all about it! The Newspaper Circle is in search of their next editorial board! And Sakuno was good enough to make it to the interview! Introduction of new characters! More intrigue and revelation! And what is this rumour about Tezuka and Sakuno?! Wait for the next update to find out!


	2. The Two Way Support

■▪□▫**ŜåΚũńő'ş Ċőřńëř▫□▪  
**by: _OrangeAce_

* * *

**The Two-Way Support  
chapter 2**

_Sakuno,_

_I am terribly sorry for leaving you at a time like this. I know I was the one who encouraged you to make better use of your time as an individual and change your perception of being in the shadows all throughout your stay in Seigaku. This tennis conference is a wonderful opportunity (although a pain) not because I'd love to meet up with fellow tennis coaches around the world (heavens no!), but so that you will learn to depend on yourself more and believe in what you can do. My child, I know you will be able to fulfil yourself not merely with the title of Seigaku's No.1 fan, but a name that would show everyone how such a wonderful person you are. You are brave, head-strong, and determined. I see myself in you. But, perhaps the only difference, which I consider your greatest quality, is having the kindness of a lamb. With that kindness, I know you will be able to gain friendships you will learn to cherish forever. Oh, and about The Newspaper Circle… GOOD LUCK! I believe in you! Remember that even if I am not there right now, I will always be rooting for you. _

_If ever you do encounter problems you cannot handle, I asked Tezuka to assist you in those. I told him to consider you as his younger sister while I am gone; a younger sister to protect, care for, support, encourage, and guide. And I bet the other regulars would love to be of help to you, too, Sakuno. Well, good luck with your interview! By now, I'm sure you have received the news of your eligibility for the editorial board. Do your best! _

_Love,_  
_Obaa-chan _

The crunches of paper sounded in the desolate Ryuuzaki household as a paper was neatly folded and another was carefully opened.

_Ryuuzaki Sakuno,_

_Congratulations for qualifying for the interview for _The Newspaper Circle's _next_ _editorial board! You will be pulled out second period after lunch tomorrow, so prepare well! I look forward into working with you in this year's school newspaper. Let's aim to make a difference and bring about a change to the entire student body!_

_Respectfully yours,_  
_Yagami-sensei_

_**DING DONG**_

Sakuno instantly placed both letters in her pocket, and then bolted from the living room couch to open the front door. It was Tomoka.

"Nervous?"

Sakuno shook her head and smiled. "That won't do me any good… but I have to admit, yes, I am." Stepping outside, she carefully closed the front door and locked it, and then placed the key safely in her pocket. The house was entirely left to her for the rest of Sumire's absence, and Sakuno was well aware that she had to take extra precautions from now own. She was, after all, only a fifteen-year old girl left home alone.

There was silence as the two walked their way towards school.

"Hey, Sakuno-chan. Can you come with me to an art convention this afternoon? This may be the last time we're going to hang out like this after you become part of the editorial board, you know? Which of course I am so sure will happen by the way!"

"Tomo-chan. The only way we can be sure is after the results are out…" The braided-girl stopped in her tracks as they were now in front of the gates of Seishun Gakuen.

Tomoka turned to her friend expectantly.

Sakuno smiled warmly. "And I won't miss hanging out with you for the world."

* * *

"Ah… What a beautiful day, ne Tezuka?"

Seeing that Fuji had his head tilted back as they walked to school, he grew curious and did the same. The sky was a striking bright blue with white fluffy clouds slowly drifting across, and the rays of the sun peeping through. As he averted his gaze away from the heavens now that they were nearing school grounds, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar girl with auburn braids.

"Tezuka?" Following the captain's line of sight, Fuji was about to find out what Tezuka had took interest into looking at when Tezuka instantly tore his gaze away and pretended he had not been unusually gazing at something. For a moment, it looked to Fuji that the captain had been staring at Ryuuzaki Sakuno. Seeing that no one else could have caught Tezuka's attention, Fuji concluded that it was indeed Sakuno Tezuka had been looking at. Fuji didn't know what to take from what he just found out as a sadistic smile just slowly spread on his face.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Fuji grinned enigmatically.

Tezuka was quite bewildered at Fuji's use of 'she' for the sky, but knowing that Fuji had a somewhat peculiar view of things at times, he merely obliged with his usual impassiveness. "If you say so."

Fuji had that mysterious smile again.

The two silently walked their way to the school building when they came upon an out-of-breath Oishi. The regulars exchanged greetings, and it was then that Tezuka noticed the folders the team's vice-captain had with him. Fuji noticed it, too.

"Oishi… What are those folders for?" Fuji pointed at the ones in Oishi's grip. "And why are you heading out? Classes are about to start…"

Oishi sheepishly grinned, but nevertheless still enlightened his friends. "Mr. Yagami wanted me to deliver these papers to the principal's office. There'll be a guest coming here today from _Japan Daily_."

"_Japan Daily?" _Fuji's eyes opened in interest.

"Does this have anything to do with today's interview?" Tezuka asked all of a sudden, surprising both his teammates. The two looked at each other.

Oishi shrugged after a moment of awkwardness. "Sorry, but I don't know…"

_**KRING KRING**_

"I better go now, or else I would entirely miss first period." Oishi began to descend the steps of the building. "See you later!"

And so, Oishi headed off to the principal's office, leaving Fuji and Tezuka on the steps of the building; the former grinning so mischievously with an evil glint in his eye, and the latter paying no heed to whatever was going inside the former's head. He doubted he'd like to enlighten himself anyway.

* * *

It was English Literature class… her_ favorite_ subject. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to pay attention in class. She knew what made her act differently was caused by the two letters she read that morning. It gave her a lot to ponder on, that's what. But was it because of the interview? Or was it because of Sumire's words about Tezuka being of assistance to her? How could that be possible when her intention of joining The Newspaper Circle was to support _them? _Not _him _(or the rest of the regulars for the matter) supporting _her. _She did not want to be a burden to them… not especially when what they should be worrying about instead were the upcoming tournaments.

"Ryuuzaki!"

Sakuno immediately averted her gaze from the window. And it was then she realized that all eyes were on her.

"I asked you a question, Ryuuzaki," Mr. Yagami stated slowly albeit sternly. "How can you define Literature?"

"Literature is…" Sakuno began to blush when she realized her mind was completely devoid of an answer. "L-Literature is defined as… as…"

_**KRING KRING**_

_Saved by the bell. _Sakuno sighed. She began gathering her pens and notebooks and placed them under her table. Just as she was currently pre-occupied with arranging her things, she failed to notice the approaching figure of her English teacher.

"Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno instantly stiffened and stopped midway from closing the lid of her table. When she assured herself that it was indeed her teacher talking to her, she quickly turned around and regarded him politely. "Y-Yes, Yagami-sensei?"

"Is everything alright? You were unusually inattentive in class today..." the teacher remarked concernedly.

Sakuno was blushing to roots end and struggled to explain herself. Well, she herself was quite clueless as to why she had been recently absentminded; all she knew was that a certain tennis captain had lingered in her mind longer than necessary. Her blush intensified at the next thought. _Was I actually daydreaming about Tezuka-senpai? _Sakuno remained horrified at her conclusion that it took her quite a while to return listening to her teacher, who for the past several minutes, had been talking continuously.

"… I take it that you were thinking about today's interview?" Was all she heard.

And at this, she nodded her head without second thoughts as if reassuring herself that that really was the root of her absentmindedness and not because she had been thinking of Tezuka.

"There is nothing much to worry about," Yagami-sensei smiled. "I believe you are more than capable of answering our questions well."

"Our?" Sakuno repeated curiously. _He's part of the panel…?_

Yagami-sensei merely grinned and said, "Aren't you hungry yet? Lunch will be over soon…" And at that, he bid his farewell.

Sakuno remained rooted to her spot for a few moments… until her stomach grumbled.

* * *

"How did Ryuuzaki-san's interview go?" Momoshiro asked as he unpacked his lunch. "It's today, isn't it?"

Tomoka nodded. "Yeah… it's still going to be second period after this though." She sighed after glancing at the cafeteria doors. "Where is she anyway? English Lit was over ten minutes ago!"

"So, around how long do you think Ryuuzaki-san's interview will be?" Momoshiro asked.

Tomoka shrugged. "I'm not quite sure…" She glanced at her expectant senpai. "Why do you ask, Momo-senpai?"

"Nothing… Nothing… I was just curious," Momoshiro laughed nervously before muttered to himself, "Second period after lunch… noted."

"Did you say something, Momo-senpai?" Tomoka asked curiously, eyeing her senpai warily.

"Nothing!" The boy laughed again. "Anyway, speaking of Ryuuzaki-san…" Momoshiro took a bite from his hamburger after which he suddenly turned serious. "There had been a rumor going about." He asked the freshmen trio, Echizen, and Tomoka to lean forward and listen to what he was going to say.

After several minutes of muffled talk…

"Are you sure about what you heard, Momo-senpai?!" Horio shrieked.

Several heads turned to their direction. The other tables in the cafeteria had been quickly occupied as soon as the bell rang that the six had to share one table in order to have lunch. They were currently engaged in a conversation (except for Echizen enjoying his meal silently) Momoshiro brought up with a rumor he heard going about the campus… and it had something to do with a certain Seigaku captain and an auburn-braided girl.

"Buchou did enter our classroom yesterday."

Everyone had their eyes on Echizen who was taking a bite from his onigiri.

Tomoka instantly jumped to her friend's defense. "That part is true! But- But Sakuno-chan and _Tezuka-senpai _together?!" The girl slammed her palms on the table which earned their group more attention. "This is unlikely! I would have at least been aware of such important progress! This can't be true!" Tomoka shook her head vehemently. "Where is Sakuno-chan? I need answers!"

"But, Osakada… don't you think it was also unlikely of buchou to enter our classroom just to tell Ryuuzaki that she passed the interview? When he could have just let her find out by herself …" Katsuo remarked quite unsurely and tried calming down the girl. "Juniors and seniors aren't even allowed to enter our floor unless their business is important."

"Then there must be something going on between them to make buchou act like that and insist on going to our class," Kachiro said. "And he did pat her on the head with that odd look in his eyes…" he added rather hesitantly.

"He what?!" Horio gaped. "He did that?!"

"Hn," Echizen took another bite.

Momoshiro then cleared his throat. "Judging from the statements you all just said… Ryuuzaki-san and buchou must be together," he said seriously. He glanced at Echizen from the corner of his eye, but the boy remained pokerfaced. "If that's the case… then we should at least show our support to this couple, no matter how unlikely it is—"

"Who is this Ryuuzaki?"

A black-haired beauty casually took a seat beside Echizen and had her _smoldering _eyes fixed on Momoshiro. Other girls also took their seats in the table, ignoring the fact that they had just rudely joined in the conversation and had taken their seats without permission. The freshmen trio immediately scooted away from their new company, aware that these girls were all seniors. Even Momoshiro was aware of this, but he showed no signs of being bothered by this detail. He simply returned the girl's gaze with a blank one. Echizen had remained impassive despite the fact that the girl with the snotty aura was just beside him. He continued eating his lunch without a care in the world.

_Watannabe Meira. _Tomoka had her eyes narrowed.

Meira looked menacing at the next instant. "I was asking who Ryuuzaki was." Venom dropped in her every word.

Just before Meira could strangle answers out from the group, the cafeteria doors suddenly swivelled open.

At her entrance, Sakuno was disturbed by the unusual silence of the cafeteria. When she noticed that everyone's eyes were directed towards her, she couldn't bring herself to move from her spot. Her eyes roamed the area, hoping to at least find anyone familiar to join. _Where are you, Tomo-chan?_

"Excuse me…"

Sakuno instantly turned around. For a moment, she thought (and hoped) that it was Tezuka-senpai who called for her. But instead, it was a familiar brunette who was in the same level as hers… her name escaped Sakuno's mind at the moment…

"I'm Natsume Ayame," the girl in a ponytail offered, a friendly smiled on her face.

Sakuno blushed, but returned the girl's smile nevertheless. "And I'm—"

"Ryuuzaki Sakuno… I know." Sakuno was taken aback that what snapped her from her momentary shock were Ayame's next words: "Would you like to join me in my table?"

* * *

"T_here is a special guest from Japan Daily that will be part of the council… Oh, and some things we learned in English Lit will come up for some reasons. Just get ready."_

"Japan Daily!" Sakuno sighed deeply.

Walking in the deserted hallway of her floor, it was only then had she once again felt the anxiousness for that day's interview. Sakuno slowed down her pace to buy herself more time to calm down. She did not know whether Ayame's reminders during lunch should comfort her or make her even more nervous.

"Literature is defined as written texts with themes of permanent and universal interest characterized by creativeness and grace of expression…" She sighed when she realized the more she thought about the interview, the more she became a bundle of nerves. She then opted to stop by the restroom to refresh herself. Walking towards the sink, Sakuno looked at herself in the mirror. There were dark rings under her eyes and her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. She turned the faucet and splashed herself with some water while one continuously plagued her mind.

_I hope joining The Newspaper Circle was a good idea._

"_You _are Ryuuzaki?"

Sakuno's head snapped up from the flowing water. From the mirror's reflection, Sakuno saw a group of girls with devilish grins on their faces by the doorway. At their size, Sakuno presumed that they were all seniors. But students weren't allowed to linger in floors other than theirs unless important. Sakuno's eyes widened as she found one of the girls very familiar – the one who looked at her as if she was the most loathed person in the world.

_Watannabe Meira. _Sakuno turned to her present company.

"So… you're Ryuuzaki Sakuno?" Meira asked with her voice hauntingly sweet. All Sakuno could do was nod dumbly. "Oops! How rude of me! I'm Watannabe Meira, running for honors, future Student Council member and Editor-in-Chief, and currently the President of the _Tezuka Kunimitsu _fanclub… but I'm sure you already knew that." She smiled as Sakuno could just stare. "So anyway, it's your interview now, isn't it?" Sakuno nodded. "Then what are you doing, still lounging here in the restroom?" she asked with a perfect eyebrow raised.

"I-I'm here to compose myself…" Sakuno managed to say.

Meira's laugh was like wind-chimes. "Oh?" She looked at Sakuno up and down. It was at the next instant that she dropped her act, and her smile was replaced by a menacing frown. "You sure don't look like it. It looks to me that you're slacking off and have no intentions of taking The Newspaper Circle seriously."

Sakuno was flushed. "W-What?"

"Honestly, I don't even know why the panel had another option for the Features Editor position when it should obviously belong to none other than me," she remarked quite haughtily, earning herself a murmur of agreement from the girls with her. "You're unworthy, incapable, and takes the paper for granted…"

Sakuno was shocked at all the accusations that she remained speechless all throughout Meira's rant. Then, Meira began to approach her. Sakuno took a step back for every step Meira walked forward. Just when her back had hit the restroom wall, Meira snapped her fingers. Buckets of cold water appeared at her sides (care of her cronies). At the next instant, Sakuno was soaked to the bones and sprawled on the floor. The auburn-head struggled in standing up when it was at that given moment she suddenly had cramps on both feet.

"A girl like you will _never _be in Tezuka-sama's league." Meira glared ice daggers at the shivering freshman on the floor. All three sinks had been opened by the other two girls as Meira began walking back to the doorway. "Moreover… you will never earn prestige as part of the elite Newspaper Circle!"

The restroom door was then slammed shut.

* * *

"_It's locked!"_

"_Here, I have the keys!"_

"_Move aside."_

All Sakuno heard were familiar voices, the jingling of keys, and the sound of running water. She had continuously shouted for help for the past fifteen minutes, and if only she had enough strength to stand up, she would have started pounding on the door. But, thanks to the numbness of her entire body, all she could do was cry. She knew that nothing could be achieved with crying, but with everything piled up inside of her: the interview, the absence of her grandmother, Meira's accusations, and thoughts about a certain Seigaku captain, Sakuno just wanted to burst! So the rest of the time, Sakuno was slumped on the restroom's cold floor with water from the sink overflowing in the bathroom as she cried and questioned herself whether it really was a good idea aiming to get in The Newspaper Circle.

And it was at that condition Sakuno's rescuers had found her.

"Ryuuzaki-san!"

Sakuno willed herself to open her eyes and respond. She caught a glimpse of red hair and black spikes. "…s-senpai-tachi?"

"Why is it so wet in here?!" Momoshiro quickly made his way inside the bathroom, his strides creating tiny splashes and ripples in the water.

"Nya! There's something wrong with the faucet! It won't close!" Kikumaru said as he struggled with fixing the sink.

"Momoshiro, Kikumaru, get help."

It was at that voice that Sakuno's spirits had been uplifted for reasons she did not comprehend. She blushed as she saw him approach her without hesitation, even if he himself was getting wet with the overflowing water. She tried getting up, but with her cramps, her attempts were futile.

"My-My interview, senpai!" Sakuno cried desperately as she tried to get up once more.

"The most reasonable thing to do now is to get you some dry clothes, Ryuuzaki. You might catch a cold." Tezuka's voice echoed in the silent restroom (save for the sounds of running water). "We can ask for another schedule for your interview…" And at that moment, Tezuka was surprised at the sudden fire found in Sakuno's eyes.

"I can still do it, senpai." Sakuno whispered firmly. "I-I won't let some cramps or being wet stop me from what I'm supposed to do…" Her voice echoed. "This interview is very important to me… It's the only opportunity I have to prove myself, senpai… I-I have to get to the interview—" She stopped midway, her eyes a fraction wider.

Tezuka was suddenly kneeling down with his back before her. He looked over his shoulder and said in that impassive voice of his, "I understand."

Sakuno had never thought she'd be having this much contact with _Tezuka-senpai _ever. _Tezuka-senpai's giving me a piggy-back ride! _Was all that was in Sakuno's head that moment. With their bodies so close, she couldn't suppress the creeping color on her face as they headed for the principal's office, the venue for that day's interview. When they descended the steps of the building, Sakuno's face accidentally landed on Tezuka's hair. She immediately pulled away and pretended as if she had not just sniffed her senpai's scent. For the remaining time of their transition to the interview, all thoughts had left her… except for the touch of the person whom she felt support and care from. She was grateful to Tezuka; for being there for her when she had felt so barren.

"Thank you so much… Tezuka-senpai…" she softly whispered in his ear.

Tezuka walked on expressionlessly as if he had not heard anything Sakuno had said.

* * *

"I sincerely apologize for today's delay... Mr. Yagami." Sakuno turned to her English Lit teacher. "…Mr. Tamamura." She turned to her school principal, and then to a young woman she assumed to be the representative from _Japan Daily._ "…and Ms…?"

"Kogane Era." The beautiful woman smiled, showing her perfect white teeth.

Sakuno returned her smiled quite shyly. "Ms. Kogane Era…" She bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry for having to let you stay longer than necessary, Kogane-san…" Sakuno said as firmly as she could muster. "The Newspaper Circle is very important to me… and I'm grateful for everyone's consideration with my unpunctuality."

"We've heard about what happened, Ryuuzaki. Don't worry. Even if it bothers me how exactly you got locked inside the bathroom, which we would deal with later of course, I believe we must proceed with the interview right now since Kogane-san may still have more important matters to attend to after this." Mr. Tamamura explained seriously. He began flipping through Sakuno's files by his desk. "Shall we begin?"

Sakuno nodded, and then took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the panelists. She was quite bothered that her uniform was still dripping with water, but if the panelists did not seem to mind, why would she?

"Why do you want to join The Newspaper Circle, Ryuuzaki-san?" Kogane Era asked.

"I love writing," Sakuno started rather softly, still quite hesitant with her answers. "I've developed a love for writing ever since I have given up tennis in Junior High actually…"

"Is that all?" Yagami-sensei asked with his eyebrows raised slightly.

Sakuno was taken aback with her teacher's question. What else did he want? She loved writing! But seeing the looks on the panelists' faces, they seemed to have expected something more. Her real purpose with why she decided to join The Newspaper Circle. She began to fidget as her anxiousness kicked in again, her face pale. Then at the next moment, just when Sakuno was wracking her brain for the real reason, something popped out of the window.

It said: GO RYUZAKI-SAN! FROM: SENPAI-TACHI AND ECHIZEN!

Sakuno's eyes widened. _Of course… How can I forget? _Sakuno shook her head. "I-I want the entire Tokyo to know how wonderful Seishun Gakuen is… to show them that there are lots of people who would go far in this school. And I want to support these people and showcase what they can do so that others would appreciate them more… so that they can get the glory and legacy they rightfully deserve." Sakuno's smile was as bright as the morning sun.

Her joining The Newspaper Circle was to support her senpai-tachi; and surprisingly, they supported her, too. It shocked her that Momoshiro and Kikumaru knew about her predicament in the bathroom that it made her wonder if they had been following her. But Tomoka did inform Sakuno after lunch that Momo-senpai had been interested in her interview. Sakuno couldn't help but smile at the happenings (save for the one with Meira), most especially the one with Tezuka-senpai. She blushed at the thought.

_Thank you... everyone._

It seemed that the support was two-way after all.

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: **Okay. So maybe I lied about the not-so-much romance. But if you think about it, the TezuSaku wasn't really romantic. Just… brotherly? Anywho! Compared to the original chapter, this version has a meaner Watannabe Meira, don't you think? Well, I hope everyone's characterization is fine so far! Please tell me what you think about the chapter! I am in _need _of comments/ suggestions/ and constructive criticisms! If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask!

**Up next: **The Newspaper Circle! And what is this offer of an exclusive interview?! And Sakuno really screws up in house management for the first time! Wait for the next update to find out!


	3. To Set Things Straight

■▪□▫**ŜåΚũńő'ş Ċőřńëř▫□▪  
**by: _OrangeAce_

* * *

**To Set Things Straight  
chapter 3**

It was an incredibly hot afternoon, and it had been pure torture for the entire Seigaku Tennis Club to do their warm-ups and have their usual dose of intense tennis action. Sure enough though, all the regulars were game for anything, considering the fact that their first tournament of the year was really near. But it had been an absolute wonder why two certain boys were given extra 'attention' that day.

"Why are Momo-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai running an extra 10 laps?" Echizen muttered as he dried his _dripping_ hair with a towel. With the extra effect, he just had to shake his head and sweat splattered everywhere. There was an immediate explosion of fan girl squeals at the gesture, but the boy completely ignored them.

"They skipped class yesterday to go to Ryuuzaki-san's interview," Fuji replied with a growing grin, his gaze directed towards Seigaku's captain who currently seemed to be lecturing Momo and Eiji as they ran past him. "I'm sure you've heard about what happened to Ryuuzaki-san, right?"

Echizen shrugged. "Hn. Buchou's being quite unreasonable. If it weren't for the senpai-tachi, Ryuuzaki wouldn't have been found early."

Fuji's eyes suddenly opened, his smile more enigmatic than ever. "Don't you find it interesting that Tezuka's looking at it in a different way?"

Echizen merely stared at his senpai, still left completely clueless as to what the heck Fuji was talking about. He chose to ignore Fuji's widening smile. "Tsk. I don't really care," he replied.

"Ryuuzaki-san got hurt despite Momoshiro and Kikumaru following her," Were Fuji's last words which made Echizen's eyes a fraction wider.

"Excuse me…"

There was a young woman right outside the courts, the stranger astonishingly managing to break through the area where the fan girls usually stayed. From their peripheral vision, they saw the Seigaku supporters huddled in a group, murmuring in low voices as they regarded the unfamiliar person standing in the midst of Seigaku Tennis Club. It made them wonder what the fuss was about. But other than the excited-looking fan girls, no one else seemed to notice their visitor.

"Is there anything we can help you with?" Fuji asked courteously, being the first to respond.

The woman smiled at Fuji's politeness. "Yes, actually. I'd like to talk to the club's captain …" she started as she began digging for something in her enormous hand bag. "There is something I would like to discuss with him." At that moment, she already had a pen and notebook in her hand, her face suddenly serious.

"Buchou's in trouble?" Echizen remarked with a smirk. "Heh. This year's not going to be so boring after all."

Fuji looked at his teammate and smiled. "With that in mind, Echizen, would you do the honors of informing Tezuka that there is someone who wants to talk to him?" His smile turned devilish when Echizen's face suddenly paled, his mind reeling with the possible consequences of being the bearer of bad news to their apparently 'in a bad mood' captain.

"Whatever." Ryoma obliged while pulling down the brim of his cap, secretly dreading for Tezuka's possible reaction, with a stranger suddenly wanting to see him and actually had the audacity to interrupt their practice when the first tournament was only weeks away!

"Eh? That's the famous Echizen? Hm... I guess like father, like son."

Fuji's eyes widened at how much the stranger knew. "Sorry, but I didn't catch your name," he said politely, his smile still pleasant. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Tezuka approaching with a gloomy Echizen in tow. It seemed like the freshman had exhibited unnecessary cockiness while informing the captain about the stranger. That definitely was a wrong move, especially when Tezuka was in such a bad mood.

Even before the young woman could introduce herself to Fuji, Tezuka had arrived and greeted in that monotonous voice of his, "Good afternoon." Was all he said at first while looking at the unknown woman with his penetrating gaze. "I am Kunimitsu Tezuka, captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club. My teammate says you wish to discuss something with me."

The next moment, everyone's attention was directed towards the mysterious woman, her identity soon to be revealed.

She smiled at everyone's anticipation. "I am Kogane Era, a journalist from _Japan Daily. _And I was hoping you'd accept an interview from me." Her voice resounded loud and clear throughout the suddenly silent tennis courts.

* * *

Heaving a heavy sigh, she dragged the black trash bag through the back and front lawn before she placed it in the garbage bin located just beside the Ryuuzaki household mail box. Reaching the house at around four pm, the first thing Sakuno did was clean the house. She swept, dusted, washed, and polished. It had been several days since the house was last cleaned that she could already feel dust tickling her nostrils. Not only that, but currently lacking the presence of Sumire who usually was her look-out when it came to accident-prone objects, she bumped into three flower pots while working around in the garden, tripped in the stairs as she attempted to catch the pieces of paper she attempted to file neatly; thus, resulting her crashing into a nearby vase, broke two pieces of china while polishing some dinnerware, and a whole lot more catastrophes that gave her a massive headache. After enduring three hours of house management without a break, her entire body felt like it had undergone a hundred hits from Echizen's twist serve, and she knew that she could just collapse right there and then. As she made her way around the house, her eyes were already drooping that it made her wonder if Fuji-senpai would give her a pat on the back for almost being at par with him in walking around with eyes closed.

By the time she finished all household chores for the day, she felt like she was half dead. She was tired. She stunk. And she was starving. Sakuno plopped herself on the living room couch and closed her eyes for a few moments of rest. She wondered if she could survive the entire duration of her grandmother's absence after experiencing a dose of living home alone (hell!) for the first time. With fatigue quickly engulfing both her mind and body, Sakuno was on the brink of entering dreamland when her momentary serenity shattered in the blink of an eye.

_**DING DONG**_

Sakuno was still slightly disoriented as she headed for the front door. Without even thinking, she opened it, totally disregarding her current state and appearance.

It felt like she was dumped a bucket of cold water at the sight of the person she just happened to open the door to. For the next moments, all she could do was stare at the unexpected visitor. Red quickly crept to her face when she was finally hit by a big boulder of realization. She could just see it in the headlines the next day: A Girl Dies of So Much Embarrassment!

"T-T-Tezuka-senpai?!"

How she wished that she could just be swallowed by the earth to end all sufferings and humiliation.

For the past five minutes, the Ryuuzaki living room was enveloped with an awkward silence. Sakuno couldn't bring herself to stop fidgeting from the heavy scrutiny she was receiving from Tezuka. Seigaku Tennis Club's Famous Captain. One of Japan's Top Teen Tennis Player. The person lacking the gift of smile… in _her living room_. How was she supposed to react to that? She never even expected someone as _glorious _as he to step foot in her house ever! Most especially that he just had to show up when she smelled like sweat, covered in grime, and had the response capacity of a wall. Not to mention that talking to Tezuka-senpai was like talking to a wall… so a wall to wall conversation for the night. How wonderful. But why was he in her house in the first place?!

Sakuno cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. "Uhm… W-Why are you here… T-Tezuka-senpai?" she stuttered. How Tezuka was looking at her was really starting to bother her for some reasons. She wondered if he could smell her from where he was. The thought made her panic. She was getting paranoid.

Tezuka's forehead started to crease. "What happened to you, Ryuuzaki—"

"I-I'm sorry I stink!"

Tezuka blinked.

There was silence for the next moments as the older teen merely stared at Sakuno, whose face was currently buried in one of the couch's pillows. Before she even dove for cover, he caught a glimpse of her burning face that it worried him if he should already ask a doctor to come over.

"I don't smell anything, Ryuuzaki." Tezuka's voice resounded in the silent house, the tone firm and reassuring. He then shifted his gaze to an area where remnants of a porcelain vase still lay on the floor. From what he could see, the house was still pretty normal apart from the mess by the stairs. But still, he wondered. "What happened here?" It was a demand.

Sakuno visibly stiffened at the tone of voice her senpai used on her. From the corner of the pillow, she peeped at the boy just sitting across. He was looking at her with that scary glare of his. She immediately straightened up and mumbled, "I was cleaning the house, senpai."

Tezuka blinked yet again. "How dirty was the house?"

Sakuno instantly reddened at the fact that Tezuka seemed to notice every single detail. She was feeling more uncomfortable as moments passed by of intense staring. Why had the heavens brought _Tezuka _to _her _house anyway?!

Just when she was about to ask once again, her stomach grumbled.

Tezuka blinked repeatedly for the third time that night.

* * *

Sakuno was practically at loss for words. She couldn't bring herself to say anything at what was currently happening. Her senpai was by the counter, _chopping vegetables_. She couldn't believe her eyes. She just couldn't. Tezuka-senpai cooking??? No way! But no matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, it really was the stoic captain making miso soup. At first she thought her ears were playing tricks on her when Tezuka offered to make her dinner and asked her to take a bath. She wasn't sure if it was her expression that caused Tezuka to pat her head, but at that gesture, she understood that Tezuka's asking her to take a bath did not mean that he was offended with however she smelled. He was merely concerned for her. She blushed when he asked where the kitchen was, and she kindly showed him the way, her face burning the entire time.

"Uhm… Aren't your parents looking for you, senpai?"

"They know I'm here."

Sakuno blushed even more. "B-But don't you have more important things to do… like homework?" she whispered as she shyly watched Tezuka's continuous chopping of vegetables.

"I've finished all of them."

"Oh…"

There was silence as Sakuno merely watched her senpai work in the kitchen, still amazed at the fact that Tezuka was in her house… and cooking! She wasn't sure how many times she actually attempted to insist that she can cook by herself for the past minutes, but Tezuka had been giving off this weird aura that said: 'Do not disturb'. So, she gave up.

"Ryuuzaki, have you taken a bath yet?"

Sakuno was out of the kitchen faster than lightning.

* * *

_**KRING KRING**_

Tezuka stared at the phone as it rang relentlessly for the fifth time. He had just finished making the girl's meal, and he decided to wait for her in the living room when the phone started to ring. He turned his gaze towards the stairs for any sign of Sakuno picking it up herself, but there was still no sight of the girl. With a sigh, Tezuka stood up from the living room couch.

_**KRING KRING**_

"Moshi moshi…"

"_Hello, Sakuno? How are you?"_

Tezuka almost dropped the phone.

"Oh no! I forgot obaa-chan's going to call tonight!" Sakuno's voice sounded in the house's upper floor.

For the first time, Seigaku's Tennis Captain did not know what to do. He could hear Sakuno's hurried footsteps and continuous rants that it worried him the girl might trip again. Just as he decided to head towards the stairs to hand Sakuno the wireless phone… an unexpected sight greeted him. By the stairs was Sakuno dripping wet, clad in only a towel.

"T-Tezuka-senpai?!"

"_TEZUKA?!" _Sumire's voice reverberated in the deathly silent house.

* * *

"Y-You should have said so earlier, senpai…" Sakuno's eyes had still not made contact with Tezuka's even if she had already started talking to him. "Uhm… Y-You wouldn't have been bothered with a lot of things if you chose to inform me beforehand…"

Right after Sumire overheard everything and took it in a different way (it was 8pm that time and any boy left alone in a girl's house would be suspected), Tezuka braved himself to explain himself as Sakuno took time to dress up. He explained that he came over for the reason of personally informing Sakuno that she had passed the interview and was now part of the editorial board. Sakuno heard Tezuka's statement and was obviously surprised at the fact that she passed. Moreover, having her senpai come all the way to her house for that reason! Sumire, who found it quite queer for a boy to be with a girl all alone in a house, still trusted the righteous captain's words and then proceeded into talking to her precious granddaughter. After the call, everything had just been plain awkward between the two.

They were currently by the dining room table, and Sakuno had just finished eating Tezuka's prepared meal. Which in her opinion was absolutely delicious by the way. Was there anything Tezuka-senpai wasn't good at?

"I apologize for not informing you earlier… it's just that your appearance was much unexpected," he explained, pokerfaced.

_Tezuka-senpai does have a flaw… He doesn't smile… _Sakuno thought sadly. "Uhm… It's alright, senpai. And I'm sorry for… appearing like that, I guess." she said with a small smile, hoping that this would spur the desired reaction. "And… did I really pass?"

Tezuka nodded, but did not smile. He heard Sakuno sigh as he got something from his pocket. It was a white envelope and a business card. Just as she was getting the items from Tezuka, her fingers slightly brushed his that it instantly made her jerk. His calculating gaze never left Sakuno's face as she began to read the letter and pretended to have not acted weirdly just a moment ago. Then she turned to read the business card.

"K-Kogane Era?" she cried surprised. "How did you get her card, senpai?"

"Seigaku was offered to be interviewed and featured in the teen sports section of Japan Daily."

Sakuno squealed. "Wow! Kogane Era's offer is a good opportunity, senpai! Uhm… You said yes?" Her eyes were almost twinkling.

"I said no."

"And obaa-chan would be surprised to see you in the newspaper when she comes back—" she stopped midway. Sakuno turned to her senpai with eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "N-No?"

Tezuka was as impassive as ever. "There are tournaments to worry about, Ryuuzaki. We can't afford to let our guard down and waste a day for an interview." He said this with so much conviction that it gave Sakuno no room to argue. And at his statement, it proved that Tezuka was serious about bringing Seigaku to another glorious victory. "You can have the card."

At what Tezuka said, Sakuno looked at her senpai as if he had just declared his undying love for her. "T-Thank you so much, senpai. You went all the way here to tell me that I passed and… uhm… thank you. For everything…" she muttered. Her face was averted from Tezuka's gaze in an attempt to hide her red face.

"Just do your best and remember we'll support you all the way." When she turned to look at her senpai, it was then she saw - for the second time - a potential smile on Tezuka's face. It made her feel good, as if her fatigue had just ebbed away.

"Thank you, senpai… for coming all the way from your house to tell me this. I-It must have been a bother…"

Tezuka shook his head. "It wasn't… I don't live thatfar."

_But still... Thank you, senpai. _Sakuno smiled.

* * *

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

"Okay, Sakuno, this is it…"

Slowly, she turned the knob and pushed the door open. There were five pairs of eyes directed towards her upon entrance. Shyly making her way inside the room, she took a seat in the front row where it was most deserted. She could still feel everyone's gaze on her back, but she decided to ignore it and began looking around the room instead. Where she was currently was going to be where she'll spend most of her afternoons from now on: The Newspaper Circle's office – the place where she'll hopefully belong. In truth, Sakuno had never felt more nervous as soon as she stepped foot right outside the office that afternoon. She did not know what she was getting herself in; whether it was really going to be a helpful experience or just bring forth pain. But, all she knew was that she decided to enter this new world of writing for her senpai-tachi. For Ryoma-kun, Kaidoh-senpai, Momo-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Inui-senpai, Kawamura-senpai, Fuji-senpai, and Tezuka-senpai…

"Ryuuzaki-san?"

Sakuno smiled delightfully when she saw who it was. "Natsume-san." The two did some catching up before they shifted towards the topic of the Circle itself. "Uhm… So is this all of us?" she asked curiously.

"Mr. Yagami mentioned in the interview yesterday that there will be eight chosen people for the editorial board. These are the editors in News, Features, Literary, Sports, Opinion, Layout, Cartoon, and Photography… and there are only six of us at the moment…"

Suddenly, the door flung open.

"Well, I guess there are eight of us now…" Ayame muttered while eyeing the girls who just entered the room. One of whom aired the condescending aura that belonged to only one person in Seigaku.

Sakuno's heart was pounding so hard that it almost hurt. It was Watannabe Meira seated a few chairs away from her. Inside _The Newspaper Circle _office. How was she supposed to survive the year now? She planned on not letting Meira see her, afraid but almost certain that she'd be getting some sort of death threat from her after the meeting. She just knew that she could do nothing against the senior, especially that she had cronies that surrounded her every minute. But fate was against her that day because Meira decided to look her way. Before she broke the eye contact, for the second time, she saw the blazing eyes which almost made her appear like she was on the brink of committing bloody murder.

A few seconds later, the office door opened again. It was Yagami-sensei. The room was suddenly silent as the moderator took a seat by the desk in front of the room. He began browsing through his folders, picked, and opened one of them. Then he turned to the rest seated quietly across him.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted as a smile slowly made its way on his face. "Let's have attendance check."

Watannabe Meira was the first to be called, her grin taunting as she turned Sakuno's way. Igahara Hikari appeared to be Meira's friend for the fact that she had given her disdainful glances several times. Misora Aki was the silent bob-haired girl seated at the far-end corner of the room. Masuda Toshiro was the boy with jet-black hair who was as tall as Momoshiro-senpai, but looked like Tezuka-senpai. Uchimura Yuka was the boy beside Toshiro and had exactly the same build as him except for the fact that he was opposite Toshiro-senpai's personality, loud and cheerful. Otake Kumi was the four-eyed, red-haired beauty seated at the other far-end corner of the room. Natsume Ayame was obviously the very friendly girl beside her. And when it had been Sakuno's name called, she had never felt so happy to say 'present'. She was part of the circle. And that meant she could show full-blown support to her senpai-tachi once more.

News Editor:

Literary Editor:

Features Editor:

Sports Editor:

Layout Editor:

Opinion Editor:

Cartoon Editor:

Photography Editor:

Sakuno's heart missed a beat. Yagami-sensei had just finished writing on the glass board and anticipation hung thickly in the air. It was the moment of truth.

Meira's smile was from ear to ear, absolutely confident that she just attained the position she wanted: Features Editor. She looked at Sakuno with such malevolence that the auburn-head almost melted at the intensity of the senior's gaze. Sakuno could feel the blatant hatred radiating off of Meira. Feeling intimidated, she turned to Yagami-sensei who had resumed writing on the board. This time, he was writing down names beside each position. Toshiro's name beside News Editor; Ayame's name beside Literary Editor; Features Editor was left blank.

Sakuno's heartbeat pounded faster. _It was left blank. _From the corner of her eye, she saw a wave of confusion hit Meira, too. _What's going on?_

Aki's name was beside Sports Editor; Kumi's name was beside Layout Editor; Opinion Writer was left blank. Hikari's name was beside Cartoon Editor, and Yuka's name was beside Photography Editor. All eyes were on Sakuno and Meira right after Mr. Koga finished writing. At the next moment, Meira's hand shot up in the air. "Sir, if I may ask… what position did I get?"

Mr. Koga smiled. "Well, Ryuuzaki and you did a great job in the interview. You have impressed Mr. Tamamura, Ms. Kogane and I so much," he started. "… that we decided to give both of you a chance to get the position you want."

* * *

"Nya! Life had never been more boring…" Kikumaru whined as he back-flipped towards the locker rooms in boredom after practice that very afternoon. "If only Tezuka accepted the interview with Kogane-san, I'll be happily roaming around to flaunt my face off to the neighborhood!"

"But you have to understand Tezuka's reason for rejecting it, Eiji," Oishi said. "We really do have to prepare for the upcoming tournament. Especially now that Echizen has joined us."

"Why is everyone making such a big deal of my return…" Echizen mumbled as he passed by his conversing senpai-tachi.

"As I was saying! Tezuka had made life so boring!" Kikumaru whined yet again. "Can't you do something about it Oooishi? You're vice-captain, aren't you?"

"And Tezuka's captain."

"A currently boring one!"

"Sorry to interrupt. But I beg to differ in that statement, Kikumaru…" Inui managed to wedge himself in between the Golden pair without them even noticing. Both Oishi and Kikumaru leapt away from the data man at his sudden appearance.

"Nya, Inui! You almost gave me a heart attack! Stop doing that! You're like a mushroom!" Kikumaru frantically waved his hands in the air.

"What were you saying, Inui?" Oishi turned to the data man who was in the middle of contemplating how exactly he was a mushroom. "Why do you say that Tezuka is not boring?"

Inui's eyeglasses glinted as if on cue, his smirk so mischievous that it almost made Oishi and Kikumaru scram. Almost. But they didn't move an inch… because they themselves were curious as to how Tezuka became 'un-boring' for the first time.

"I called the Tezuka household around 8pm last night and someone picked up…"

Oishi blinked. Kikumaru cried, "_That's it?!"_

Inui pushed his glasses nearer the bridge of his nose as he flipped a page from his data notebook. "…and said that Tezuka was in Ryuuzaki's house." he ended and shut his notebook close.

Oishi's soul had currently left his body as Kikumaru was already out of sight to spread the news. The two shouldn't have instantly jumped to conclusions, but it was all Inui's fault, really.

* * *

Sakuno didn't know what made her dare think that approaching Tezuka-senpai was going to end all her current problems. With every step she took towards the tennis courts, it was as if gravity pushed her to the world's very core. Oh, it wasn't soothing words she needed. It wasn't his comforting pats either. She was going to ask something big from him. But she was desperate! She had nowhere else to go. She couldn't back out now that she had gone as far as landing in The Newspaper Circle's editorial board. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she made her way through the courts to reach the captain directly across, but she tried her best to ignore them. Luckily practices were over, so it wasn't that difficult to have Tezuka spare a few minutes of his time for her.

The rest of the regulars held their breath (save for Echizen) as they watched Sakuno head towards their captain without hesitation.

"Ryuuzaki-san really is approaching Tezuka-senpai," Momoshiro's eyebrows were knotted. From the corner of his eye, he looked at Echizen. And quite unexpectedly, the young prodigy looked interested.

"Are our suspicions coming true?" Oishi asked quite worried, his gaze never leaving Sakuno and Tezuka. "Would it be alright to leave them be?"

"Tezuka is Ryuuzaki-san's big brother at the moment, isn't he? It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Ryuuzaki-san will approach him," Kawamura remarked.

"But it still is intriguing in some way…" Fuji opened his eyes. "I've never seen Ryuuzaki-san have that boldness before. She must be comfortable around Tezuka to approach him without hesitation."

"Ryuuzaki-san is buchou's girlfriend?" Kaidoh murmured to himself. At the words he just uttered, he was suddenly hit by a random tennis ball. He looked around for the possible culprit, but the only suspicious difference in the scene was Echizen heading towards the vending machine.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go closer to find out!" Kikumaru ushered excitedly.

* * *

"… Please walk me home, senpai."

Tezuka's eyes widened at the sudden fire he saw in Sakuno's gaze. It was the same fire when they had found the girl slumped on the cold floor of the girl's restroom. With that thought it mind, the Seigaku captain immediately came into the conclusion that the freshman wasn't asking him to walk her home for the reason that she was irrevocably in love with him or anything, but because she had to talk to him about 'business'. Without a straightforward response, what Tezuka did was grab his tennis bag, slung it over his shoulder, and said:

"Come on."

It surprised the girl that her senpai had consented so easily. But she didn't complain even if it made her wonder why. The walk home had been silent, with Sakuno fidgeting awkwardly the entire time. She wasn't really sure how she was going to introduce her situation to her senpai. The two walked side by side without them realizing that there were six snoopy regulars tailing behind.

Tezuka watched his anxious kouhai from the corner of his eye. "What's wrong, Ryuuzaki?"

Instantly, Sakuno turned to her senpai, "The position I want in the board is up for grabs… And I need to earn it by creating a features article on an interview made by a professional." Sakuno's eyes were pleading.

Everything instantly clicked in Tezuka's mind.

"A-And I was hoping that Kogane Era's invitation would help me in this one…" Sakuno said softly, her spirits slowly crumbling as she saw Tezuka as expressionless as ever. "I know it's very selfish of me to only consider myself … b-but I honestly don't know where else to go…"

Sakuno was interrupted when Tezuka placed his hand on top of the girl's head. And it was at what she saw the next moment that all worries had drifted away.

The unexpected curved line on Tezuka's face had definitely set things straight.

**TBC**

* * *

**Up next: **How Sakuno spends her Saturday afternoon with the Seigaku regulars! Definite fun, fun and fun! But the question is, why _is _Sakuno spending her Saturday afternoon regulars when her senpai-tachi really should be practicing? Wait and read the next update to find out!

Review? :3


	4. A Lesson Learned

■▪□▫**ŜåΚũńő'ş Ċőřńëř▫□▪  
**by: _OrangeAce_

* * *

**A Lesson Learned  
chapter 4**

Upon opening her eyes, the first thing that crossed her mind was to get a new alarm clock that did not go _KRIIING.; s_he had had enough of headaches early in the morning. The second thing that registered in her mind was the unusual darkness of the morning. One look outside and her query was answered. It was raining _hard_. She stared at the ceiling, actually expecting a few raindrops to land on her face. For as far as she knew… there should be a leak. It took her several more moments to in take the fact that there was _no _leak, and that she was wasting time wondering why there was no leak instead of doing something else...

"The interview!!!"

Ryuuzaki Sakuno bolted from bed and dashed towards the bathroom.

As soon as she finished taking a shower and left a wet trail of water on her carpet the moment she walked out of the bathroom, she headed towards her closet for a pick of clothes. She was going to be in an exclusive interview with _the _Kogane Era. So she had to look neat, yet sophisticated. Well, not that she was the one going to be interviewed, but she was going to be present when _the _Kogane Era was in action. Moreover, it involved the Seigaku Regulars. Today was a very special day, and everything had to be perfect.

After several minutes of deciding, Sakuno finally settled on a white sleeveless turtleneck, a pink denim skirt and a plaid magenta coat that went just above her knees. She smiled at her choice of clothing, and then she dressed up. With a quick glance at the clock which flashed 8:00 am, Sakuno knew she had to speed up. She clipped a silver barrette on her hair as she hurried downstairs for a quick breakfast and prepare the pastries she had made the previous night.

"Mou... I can't believe I'm going to be late in something important again!" she cried after gobbling up a bowl of Fruit Loops with milk. She wasn't really fond of cereals, but she couldn't afford to waste another thirty minutes cooking her morning meal.

She dumped the bowl in the sink, got the treats in the cupboard and then quickly approached the front door.

"Pastries, check. Umbrella, check—"

_**RING RING**_

Sakuno grabbed her phone from her coat pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"_Ryuuzaki-san! Is everything alright? Did you catch a cold? Did you get lost?—"_

Sakuno blinked. Was that Oishi-senpai on the other line?

"_You're too worried, Oooishi! You're forgetting she's fifteen now! Give the phone to me! Give it!"_

She heard Kikumaru-senpai this time. It made her wonder how exactly they got her cell phone number.

"_Hello? Ryuuzaki-san… this is Inui."_

She should have known. "Hello… Inui-senpai…" she replied rather shyly.

"_You're on your way?"_

Sakuno felt a pang of guilt and instantly stepped out of the house with umbrella ready. "Yeah… I'm sorry if I'm…" a quick glance at her wristwatch. "…five minutes late… uhm… I'm on my way…" She locked her door and began walking elsewhere in such a hurry that she even almost slipped.

"_That's good. Well, Ryuuzaki-san... Just so you know, Tezuka isn't here yet."_

Sakuno stopped in her tracks. "…senpai?"

"_Tezuka's not here."_

At first, she couldn't believe her ears. Tezuka promised that he was going to be in the interview; he even spared a day of practice for her even if the tournaments were only weeks away. He couldn't just leave her like that, could he?

"_Ryuuzaki-san? Are you still there? If you're interested with my theories, well there is a 5 percent chance that Tezuka forgot about today…"_

She thought she was going to faint.

"… _20 percent chance that an emergency came up and he couldn't come…" _

She could slowly feel a knot form in her stomach. It was too much to bear. Tezuka's presence was her tranquilizer at times like this. She couldn't possibly make it through the day without him to set things straight.

"… _35 percent chance that he decided to wait for you…"_

If at first Sakuno could not believe what she was hearing, it was at that moment she shifted into not believing her eyes instead because walking towards her was Tezuka himself. And did he just come from the house she had always thought to be owned by a Yakuza group?

Her arm fell to the side.

The two had eye contact.

Inui was completely forgotten.

"… _and a 40 percent chance that he woke up late because of preparing a more efficient training menu after realizing there will be a one day practice-skip…" _Inui's voice rang. But to Sakuno, it was just a faint buzzing to the ear, for her attention was towards the Seigaku captain right in front of her.

"Senpai…" Sakuno couldn't believe it. Had Tezuka really waited for her? She fiercely blushed at the thought.

"_Tezuka—?" _Then the line was cut.

"What are you still doing here, Ryuuzaki?" Tezuka looked surprised.

"Uhm... D-Did you wait for me, senpai?" Sakuno mumbled shyly as she blushed to roots end.

His kouhai was looking at him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to respond. Tezuka blinked in confusion, but nevertheless said, "Come on. We're late..."

Sakuno visibly brightened, and began walking beside Tezuka. "I didn't know you were my neighbour..." She turned to the taller teen with a smile.

Tezuka regarded Sakuno from the corner of his eye. "It is something not really worth fussing about," Was all he said.

Sakuno nodded, "True... uhm... But I'm happy that Tezuka-senpai is my neighbour.... I don't feel so lonely anymore after knowing that senpai is only houses away..." she whispered with a blush and her eyes somewhat downcast. "At night, I can't help but feel scared sometimes... thinking that a burglar can just enter the house anytime if I may have forgotten to secure all doors and windows... or if I'm cooking, I get scared that I may burn the house down—"

Sakuno turned fifty shades of red when Tezuka reached out to pat her head in reassurance. She couldn't help but smile warmly at him even until he removed his hand not long after.

But she blinked when he extended his hand again... this time with a pink notebook. "...senpai?" She looked at the older boy currently avoiding her gaze.

"It's yours..." he said. When Sakuno got it from his hand, he added, "Do your best always."

The pink notebook was adorned with flower beads and ribbons, and this heart-shaped lock with a heart-shaped key stuck to it. With a big, bright smile, she glanced at her senpai adoringly. It was beautiful. But the thought of his giving it to her was even more beautiful.

Then, it was Tezuka's turn to repeatedly blink when Sakuno held out a brown paper bag to him.

"It's something I made for you..." she said rather sweetly, and then went on ahead a few steps to hide her burning face. "Thank you for everything, senpai..."

Tezuka opened the bag and was greeted with the aroma of cinnamon pretzels.

"...and for fixing the leak in my roof," she said while walking in front of him.

Tezuka couldn't help but smile at that.

* * *

"Buchou is sleeping with Ryuuzaki-san?!" Momoshiro exclaimed at the top of his lungs, gaining their group more attention.

"Don't shout out stuff like that, idiot. Besides... it's not true..." Kaidoh hissed, glaring daggers at the abashed Momoshiro. Then he turned to Inui. "Right, senpai?"

The eight Seigaku regulars were currently seated around a table outside a cafe near the building of _Japan Daily. _There were a fair number of people lingering in the area, some heading towards the said building. But majority of the people in sight were all adults and looked like professionals. The Seigaku regulars stood out like thorns among roses.

The big digital clock plastered on the building's facade flashed 8:40 am.

"As far as my data goes, that is the likeliest chance as to why Tezuka and Ryuuzaki are both late and togetherm" Inui said with fogged glasses.

"Inui... Tezuka isn't as irresponsible as you make him appear... He wouldn't do something like that to Ryuuzaki-sensei _and _Ryuuzaki-san..." Oishi explained, his face burning.

"What my data says, that's the truth," Inui muttered while writing on his notebook. He was exerting this aura of gloom that everyone in the table instantly scooted way from him.

"But whatever you say, we don't always have to believe..." Echizen lowered his cap and muttered.

"Did you say something, Echizen?" He snapped his head towards the freshman who instantly paled and apologized.

"Saa... I think Inui is just saying this because the phone booth cut him off when he could have gathered more data about Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-san over the phone call..." Fuji smiled when he seemed to have hit a nerve. The data man was scowling deeply at him. "Am I right, Inui?"

Inui drowned himself with a cup of latte and began writing on his notebook again. Everyone sighed.

Then Kikumaru slowly crept behind Inui and managed to snatch the notebook away from him. "Look! Look! Inui's doodling on his notebook! Nya?! Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-chan have a 50 percent chance of having a love relationship?!" The data man tried grabbing back his 'precious', but the acrobatics player was too fast for him. "Hmm... what else is in here- OH MY GOSH!" Kikumaru turned gaping at Inui. He took that as the opportunity to get his notebook back and tuck it inside his coat. "Tezuka saw Ryuuzaki-chan in a towel?!"

"WHAT?!" everyone cried. The regulars looked at each other, and then at the sulking data man.

Inui slumped back down in his seat and quietly sipped his cafe latte. "Now you see where my frustration lies..."

"But Inui-senpai! How did you know about this?" Momoshiro warily inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Inui's glasses glistened. "You must have forgotten that I have a pair of eyes and legs, Momoshiro..."

"Excuse me."

Everyone looked up from their current conversation. Standing right in front of their table was a familiar face. It was the successful young woman they were supposed to meet at precisely 9 am in _Japan Daily _that day_. _"Kogane Era!"

"I couldn't help but overhear, but you seem to be having problems figuring out whether you tennis captain and coach's granddaughter are together," she started with a grin. Everyone was taken aback at what she knew. Where they _that _loud? "Do you mind if I take a seat? I may be able to help you in figuring out this one the right way... like professional journalists. And perhaps we can have our interview here, too."

* * *

Sakuno and Tezuka stood side by side each other outside the cafe, _clueless_ as to why everyone was looking at them like _that._ 'That' in the context of smug grins and mischievous glints in their eyes saying 'you-think-you-can-hide-something-from-us-but-ha-you-failed-because-we-know'.

"Ryuuzaki-chan! Tezuka-kun!" Kogane piped in cheerfully, then breaking the awkward atmosphere. "You're finally here!"

Sakuno finally snapped from her momentary stupor, "I-I'm sorry we're late!" She bowed her head while blushing intensely. "Uhm… I know everyone settled on coming here at 8:30 so that we can go all together to the interview, but I woke up late this morning…" she grabbed something from her bag and handed each of the regulars and Kogane a brown paper bag. "… something I made for everyone…" she ended shyly.

"We're sorry for being late…" Tezuka reiterated when no one seemed to have responded to Sakuno's apology because everyone was suddenly busy opening their paper bags and sniffing the aroma of the chocolate chip cookies.

Instead of the usual reassurance of either words or a nod that their apology was accepted, the regulars either _coughed _or _turned beet red. _

Tezuka was at a loss for words.

The big digital clock plastered on the building's facade flashed 8:50 am.

"Tezuka-senpai… would you like me to get you a chair?" Sakuno asked kindly as she started to approach an empty table to grab two chairs.

"No, I'll do it," he immediately said and went off.

Sakuno was sure she needed a hearing aide because she swore she could hear _giggling_ behind her. When she looked over her shoulder to confirm, everyone suddenly looked away and avoided her gaze. Well except for Fuji-senpai who had his blue orbs looking back at her, but she decided not to meet his gaze because her senpai-tachi were creeping her out as of the moment. So she settled on looking at Kogane Era who merely smiled, shrugged, and then drank from her cup of coffee.

Once Sakuno and Tezuka joined everyone in their seats, an uncomfortable silence enveloped their table. The usually boisterous Momoshiro and Kikumaru were _quietly sipping their lattes_ instead of either blabbering or bickering with either Kaidoh or Oishi. Kaidoh and Kawamura were glancing at the digital clock ever so often as if they were dreading for a certain moment to come. Inui was busy _looking at the sky _as if sulking instead of using his time to gather precious data. Oishi was _fidgeting _with his fork and haven't looked up from the table the entire duration. It was only Echizen and Fuji who were capable of looking them in the eye. Perhaps it was different with Echizen since the boy usually didn't give a care about anything. But at the way he was looking at Sakuno and Tezuka, it was as if he was both entertaining and bewildering himself with a thought. As for Fuji… well, no one really wanted to know what was going in his head. Kogane Era was happily blending with the background.

Sakuno couldn't believe this. This was nothow she expected spending time with her senpai-tachi. Why weren't they usual selves? Were they regretting coming to this interview to help her and preferred practicing instead? The silence bothered her as much as having Tezuka-senpai absent during the said meeting!

The big digital clock plastered on the building's facade flashed 8:55 am.

Kogane nodded her head towards their general direction. Oishi cleared his throat.

"T-Tezuka—"

The vice captain felt a strong nudge to his left. Kikumaru was glaring at him as if telling him to do it right. Sakuno and Tezuka were still completely clueless to everything.

Oishi cleared his throat yet again.

"Do you need Strepsils, Oishi?" Tezuka remarked with his eyes narrowed suspiciously at his teammate.

Oishi shook his head, blushed, and then attempted to speak once more.

"Tezuka…" It came out as a soft mumble.

Tezuka looked at Oishi straight in the eye, neither moving nor blinking. This seemed to have intimidated the regular because he began to sweat so much.

"Nya, Oishi! Ask it now, will ya! The suspense is killing me!" Kikumaru exclaimed which earned him a snap of the head from Kogane that caused him to quickly shut up and remain quiet in his seat.

And just as Oishi was finally able to compose himself, Fuji overtook him.

"Are you sleeping with Ryuuzaki, Tezuka?"

Latte splattered all over the table. Sakuno shakily wiped the dripping liquid from her mouth as she tried to process what Fuji-senpai had just said. Also, the temperature suddenly dropped to zero degrees. Tezuka looked ready to kill as his glasses fogged. After dropping the napkin on the table Sakuno looked like she was going to hyperventilate and have vertigo.

Clearly amused, Kogane Era began clapping her hands. "Blunt, but still contains that formality and elegance in inquiry. Very good, Fuji-kun! Now to wait for the answer!"

"What is this nonsense?" Tezuka said, trying his best to remain calm. But it was obvious that he was controlling himself from giving laps to his entire team who apparently have been gossiping during their wait.

"Hoi! Hoi! It wasn't a straight answer, Kogane-san… is that supposed to be a 'yes' or a 'no?" With twinkling eyes, Kikumaru enthusiastically asked the famous journalist beside them

"N-No!" Sakuno responded at once. _What are senpai-tachi thinking?! _The fifteen-year old girl glanced at her senpai to her right, and as of the moment, the Seigaku Tennis Captain sure was exerting effort to keep his cool. She could sense the ominous aura surrounding him though.

Kogane Era was animatedly chatting with the rest of the table about still possessing morals and a dignity when scooping for news. "As I've mentioned a while ago, as much as possible, even if you badly want to know something you must never resort into crossing boundaries and violating personal space just so you can get what you want." Inui noticeably stiffened at this. "Journalism isn't only about relaying facts to the mass, but it is an art that not only needs discipline, vigilance and perceptiveness, but also dignified actions... right, Inui-kun?" If Inui's shoulders could have gone any lower and his scowl deeper, both would already have reached the floor. "And of course, gossiping is a big no-no."

Kogane suddenly turned to Sakuno who at that moment had a faraway look, as if she was trying to digest everything the journalist said. The young woman smiled when her gaze met Sakuno's, and the latter had to blush for being caught in la-la land... but nevertheless, she returned Kogane's smile.

"And now you solved the mystery in the simplest way!" Kogane exclaimed happily and then sipped more coffee.

Why was it that Sakuno and Tezuka felt like they had been guinea pigs moments ago?

"Saa... Tezuka's expression was priceless..." Fuji chuckled which earned him a glare from the said boy.

"And Ryuuzaki-chan's was adorable!" Kikumaru ejaculated which caused Sakuno to color even more.

"I'm afraid I have to back out from our deal today, Ms. Kogane..." Inui spoke all of a sudden, also grabbing his data notebook from his coat in the process. "But I simply cannot live a day without data... I must write everything I have seen before my very eyes today!" He cackled maniacally as he began writing in his data notebook. Everyone instantly scooted farther away and let him be.

"We forgot to say this a while ago, Ryuzaki-san... but thank you for the cookies." Kawamura turned to the smiling Sakuno. "We really appreciate it."

"And it's really tastes good, too!" Momoshiro remarked while spewing some crumbs towards Kaidoh who openly glared at him. "Right, Echizen?"

Sakuno blushed when she caught Echizen happily munching on his cookie. She smiled softly when the tennis prince responded, "Mada mada dane."

The Seigaku vice-captain was fidgeting the entire time for beside him was none other than the person they all have just accused of sleeping with their coach's precious granddaughter. "T-Tezuka..." Oishi squeaked when Tezuka's eyes glinted upon looking at him. "...you aren't mad, are you?" His voice was almost inaudible.

There was a moment of silence as everyone's attention was suddenly diverted to Tezuka.

"A hundred laps."

Everyone groaned.

The big digital clock plastered on the building's facade flashed 9:01 am.

"Shall we begin our interview then?" Kogane Era said after everything had settled down.

Sakuno had never been gladder that day.

* * *

A splash of water on her face was enough to send her back to her spirits. She looked up from the sink to stare at her reflection. There were dark rings under her eyes, her face pale and water dripping from her face. It was like déjà vu: the time right before Meira appeared. She wiped the water on her face with a tissue, sighed, and closed her eyes. The interview was finally done. Sure the regulars' earlier accusations that _Tezuka-senpai had slept with her_ had been plain bothersome, but it was through it that Kogane Era managed to teach her a lesson.

She reached for her pink notebook currently on top of the counter and flipped some pages. She had to thank Tezuka yet again. Because she had hurriedly left the house while talking to Inui-senpai that morning, she forgot her _tape recorder_. Good thing Tezuka gave her the pink notebook or else she would have had nowhere to place important details about the interview. Tissue paper was out of the question. Now if she could only start the article right away and send it to Yagami-sensei by tonight, she had nothing else to worry about.

She was suddenly broken from her trance when a cubicle door swung open. Her eyes bulged.

"What are you doing in the men's restroom, girl?" Atobe asked in that high and mighty way of his and a perfect eyebrow raised. He ambled towards the sink and upon passing by the still stunned Sakuno said, "Ore-sama may have to call the guards if you continue staring at him in such an unrefined manner."

"T-This is the women's restroom..." Sakuno managed to croak out after composing herself, her face was burning. "... Atobe-san."

Atobe regarded Sakuno through the mirror as he washed his hands. "Are you one of ore-sama's fangirls?" He pointed a dripping finger towards the startled Sakuno. "The audacity! Don't you have any respect for privacy?" He placed his hands under the dryer and continued to glare accusingly at the blushing girl. After several moments of staring, "Has ore-sama seen you somewhere before?"

Just before Sakuno could answer or once more insist that he was in the lady's room, an old woman entered and instantly shrieked when her gaze fell on Atobe. "PERVERT!" she cried and began hitting Atobe with her tote bag.

Poor Atobe, being mercilessly attacked by an old lady not younger than 60.

"Ore-sama demands this to be stopped, old lady! What right have you to hit ore-sama when he was just standing there and kindly telling a young girl that she was in the wrong restroom!" he continuously ranted while being hit on the head and pushed outside.

Worried, Sakuno quickly followed.

As soon as silence had befallen in the restroom, a cubicle slowly opened, revealing a grinning black-haired beauty. Her smile widened even more when she spotted a pink notebook left open on the restroom counter.

* * *

They were currently outside the restrooms in _Japan Daily. _It was quite sad seeing Atobe with all color drained in his face look back and forth at the signs on the restroom doors to convince himself that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him and that he had _not _just entered the lady's room.

"A-Atobe-san?" Atobe stopped and looked at Sakuno. "Are you alright?" she asked quite hesitantly, her face a bright red.

Atobe cleared his throat and soon enough, turned red, too. He looked away to avoid Sakuno's gaze and said with as much remaining dignity as he could, "Ore-sama did _not _enter the lady's room... alright?" he glanced at Sakuno who was trying her best not to giggle.

"Hai!"

Atobe began walking away, leaving Sakuno smiling to herself. Then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "And... ore-sama has to thank you for saving him from that awful lady..." He turned around to look Sakuno straight in the eye. "Ore-sama is indebted to you. Perhaps an ice cream cone would suffice?"

Sakuno immediately flailed her hands to turn down the request. "N-No, Atobe-san... It's fine. You don't need to treat me ice cream—"

"Oh, but ore-sama insists!" Atobe declared and gently grabbed Sakuno's arm to pull her out of the building and towards the ice cream store just by the corner. "Besides... ore-sama needs to refresh himself. He has been going around with his team in this building to send an advertisement for the upcoming tournaments since his school is the host... Do you like tennis?" Sakuno quickly nodded. Then he frowned when some teenage girl passersby giggled at the sight of him. "And ore-sama had had enough of fangirl confrontations..." he muttered to himself when the said girls started to approach him.

Sakuno gasped when he suddenly felt Atobe wrap his arm around her waist.

"A-Atobe-san!" Her face was on fire.

"Just play along until ore-sama and you reaches the ice cream store. Ore-sama is in no mood to deal with these..." he murmured in her ear which caused Sakuno to blush even more. "Consider it another scoop of whatever flavour you like."

Sakuno sighed and knew she could do nothing else. _I just hope that they won't go ballistic that I've been gone for more than 15 minutes._

After getting their orders from the store, the two settled down under a table with an umbrella and happily gobbled up their ice creams. Atobe ordered two scoops of cookies and cream while Sakuno got two scoops of strawberry with sprinkles. There was silence as Sakuno busied herself in licking off the ice cream before it travelled down the sugar cone, and on the other hand, Atobe was looking at the said auburn-head from the corner of his eye, trying his best to remember as to where he saw her before.

"Hey you..." The fifteen-year old stopped midway from taking another lick. "What is your name?"

Sakuno blinked at Atobe who was expectantly looking at her, patiently waiting for her to reply. "I'm—"

"Ryuuzaki!!!"

Both teenagers turned to where the voices came from. "Ryuuzaki? Meaning... the granddaughter of Seigaku's coach?" Atobe gasped at the newly found revelation.

"Everyone!" Sakuno exclaimed in delight, even almost dropping her ice cream.

"Seigaku?" Atobe cried flabbergasted and was the one who dropped his cone.

"Atobe?!" Everyone else gaped.

"What is Seigaku doing here?" Atobe asked suspiciously, specifically glancing at Tezuka.

"Is this why the answer to our earlier' question was a 'no'?" A female voice suddenly interjected, turning everyone's head as to where it came from. "Because Ryuuzaki-chan already has a boyfriend?" The temperature dropped to zero degrees again for the second time that day.

"Kogane-san!" Sakuno smiled. And when she seemed to have processed what the young journalist said, she cried, "N-No!"

Kogane laughed. "I was just kidding, Ryuuzaki-chan..."

"Kogane Era?" Atobe's eyes widened. "What is a _Japan Daily_ journalist doing with Seigaku?" he asked to no one in particular. "Tezuka?" he asked when no one responded to his question.

The Seigaku captain glanced at Atobe quite intensely. The latter seemed amused at this that his mouth tugged upward. "The Seigaku Tennis Club just had exclusive interview with Ms. Kogane."

Atobe's smile was gone in a flash. "May you repeat what you just said... Tezuka?"

The others were trying their best not to laugh at Atobe's expression. They seemed to have quickly caught up that Atobe was both clearly surprised and infuriated because Seigaku was invited to an interview and Hyotei wasn't. Even Kogane Era appeared interested in what was about to happen next. And it was only Sakuno who seemed to worry about what was yet to unfold.

"Seigaku was invited to be interviewed and featured in the teen sports section of the newspaper... Atobe."

Atobe thought he was going to faint. "This is unbelievable!" he cried in protest. "Seigaku was invited while ore-sama's glorious school wasn't? Is it because Hyotei is only second to Seigaku? Preposterous!"

"Hey, Atobe!" The rest of the Hyoutei regulars made their way towards the large group in the ice cream store. They were surprised to see Seigaku and Kogane Era there, but what surprised them even more was the fact that Atobe was sitting beside an auburn-braided girl and seemed to have just finished eating ice cream with her.

"We've been looking for you since a while ago, Atobe." Oshitari pushed his glasses nearer the bridge of his nose and all the while glancing at Seigaku. "And yet you are here... dating a student of our rival school."

"_They are not dating!"_

"_W-We are not dating..."_

The sound of a chair being dragged silenced all rants. Atobe stood up from his chair and headed towards his waiting team. "Hyoutei will remember this day, Seigaku!" With eyes ablaze, he turned to Tezuka. "Mark my words! Ore-sama's team will leave you in the dust in the tournaments next month!" And at that, he beckoned his teammates to retreat. But before completely walking away, Atobe looked over his shoulders and said, "Farewell, Ryuuzaki... ore-sama would gladly like to spend time with you again soon. Oh, and don't tell anyone what happened in the restroom."

* * *

"What happened in the restroom, nya?!"

Sakuno sighed as she had been bombarded by questions for the past ten minutes. She glanced at Tezuka who had been silent the entire time, seemingly lost in his deep thoughts. She hoped he wasn't regretting that he accepted the interview. All of them were currently in the train and on their way home. She had actually been quite afraid the entire day that her senpai-tachi and Ryoma-kun were going to back out and decide that they'd rather practice than be interviewed and help her in this. And right now, she was completely relieved that she managed to accomplish her task and survive the day! She was about to reach for the pink notebook in her bag to look at her progress... when she realized it wasn't there.

She practically stood up from her seat. "I forgot my notebook in the restroom!"

After calling Kogane Era while profusely apologizing for the bother of the search, there was no trace of the notebook in the female restroom in _Japan Daily. _Sakuno was on the brink of pulling her braids. There was nothing that could calm her down, no matter what the Seigaku regulars did. It was only when Tezuka stood up from his seat and approached the fifteen-year old girl did she snap from her antics.

"Ryuuzaki, get a hold of yourself." Sakuno tried her best to stop her tears from falling down. "Panicking won't do anything." Tezuka's voice was calm that it soothed Sakuno in some way. "You still remember what happened in the interview, do you?" Sakuno nodded. "Then there will be no problem... you still can make the article." Sakuno nodded yet again.

All the regulars could do was blink at the on-going conversation.

"B-But... the notebook..."

"We can get you another one."

Sakuno snapped her head upward, and there was that fire in her eyes again. "That's not what I was trying to say, senpai... That notebook was important because... because.... you gave it to me..." Her last words were hardly audible that the others had to lean in forward to hear what she said.

There was an awkward silence that ensued right after.

"Man, I'm hungry!" Momoshiro cried all of a sudden in attempts to break the building atmosphere. "What to do you say we head to that fast food chain in the next stop to have some burgers!"

"Idiot. There's a crisis going on in here and all you can think about is food..." Kaidoh said annoyed.

"What did you say, mamushi?! I was trying to keep things light here, stupid!" Momoshiro gritted his teeth.

And so the bickering began.

"We'll have lunch," Tezuka stated firmly. In his tone, there was no room for argument. Admittedly, the girl _was _hungry. "We've had a long morning..." And then he diverted his gaze from Sakuno to the juniors currently in a verbal fight. "Momoshiro! Kaidoh!"

"Maybe we can help you refresh today's interview while we eat..." Fuji exposed his cerulean orbs and gazed back at Sakuno as if to pacify her.

"If you need some help with writer's block, just come to me, and I can give you some ideas," Oishi offered kindly.

"Same here, Ryuuzaki-san... just approach me if you need help with anything." Kawamura smiled.

"Though I wonder what happened to the notebook..." Ryoma muttered under his breath.

"There is 75.86 percent that Atobe was the one responsible for its disappearance because of his intense jealousy that Seigaku was interviewed and Hyotei wasn't..." Inui butted in all of a sudden.

"Inui! Didn't Kogane-san say that it's bad to gossip and accuse right away?" Kikumaru chirped.

"I was merely sharing my thoughts, Eiji." Inui said quite dejectedly. He sighed and returned to his seat to be lost in world of data again.

"Anyway, Ryuuzaki-chan!" Kikumaru suddenly glomped the only female in the group and began cuddling her. "I know it's sad that the notebook Tezuka gave you got lost, but you can have my notebook with the cute cat on the cover if you want!"

Sakuno blushed at her senpai's thoughtfulness. "Thank you, senpai... b-but you don't have to."

It seemed that the day won't stay badly for long after all. Ryuuzaki Sakuno tried her best to smile and enjoy the company of the people whom she felt absolute care and support from. Entering the world of The Newspaper Circle was going to be worth it, for everything was for them after all.

* * *

_**MAIL SENT**_

She closed her laptop and smiled satisfied. She did not have to go through the process of asking for an interview after all. She touched the pink notebook on her study desk lovingly and flipped through its pages.

"As a journalist, one must learn how to value information and screen sources well, Ryuuzaki..." the overachiever smirked as she had her gaze lingering on the page that said:

**KOGANE ERA'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TEEN TENNIS CHAMPS!**

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter is longer than usual. So many things happened, and each of these is sort of like a 'foreshadowing' of what will happen in the succeeding chapters. What do you think will happen in the next chapter? All I can say is that the official list for the Editorial Board will be released soon! So watch out! Please tell me what you think about it! Was it good? Bad? Review! Review! Oh, and by the way... I can promise after a faster update since it is summer after all!

**Up next: **The release of the official list of the Editorial Board! What position did Sakuno get? And who is this person who goes all the way to Seigaku to meet Sakuno for the second time? How will the Seigaku regulars react to this? And why has this visit caught The Newspaper Circie's attention? Wait for the next chapter to find out!


	5. The Features Editor

■▪□▫**ŜåΚũńő'ş Ċőřńëř▫□▪  
**by: _OrangeAce_

* * *

**The Features Editor  
chapter 5**

It was raining horridly that night.

The loud patter of rain and ferocious whiplash of the wind were enough to keep him off his usual train of thought. The surroundings were pretty much a blur from where he sat, the glass window fogged up from the chill of the evening. The dance of the rain may have soothed others to a certain extent, but each drop only fettered him with more distressing thoughts.

"Kunimitsu."

He quickly switched his gaze towards the dining table. It was his father who had called him, the usually stoic man looking at him with a hint of concern. His mother and grandparents were regarding him as well.

"Is something wrong?" his mother asked, her tone a mixture of curiosity and worry. "You haven't touched your food yet."

"It's nothing," Tezuka replied politely, quickly picking up his chopsticks and began eating his now cold dinner.

Silence ensued for the next several minutes before the sky roared, and the heavens wept harder.

"Your attention wouldn't easily be caught, Kunimitsu, even with a sudden a clap of thunder," his grandfather quipped, sipping his soup bowl in a gradual, elegant manner. He smiled knowingly at his grandson who remained pokerfaced despite what the old man was hinting at. "That was the fifth time tonight," he grinned, and then turned to his daughter from across the table, "As always, your soup's delicious, Ayako!"

Ayako returned the smile. "Why thank you, tou-san. Would you like another serving?"

Light chatter followed right after.

Then another clap of thunder resounded in the sky.

Anyone looking closely would have seen Tezuka throw another subtle, fleeting glance at the window, but everyone else was too preoccupied with either dinner or the ongoing conversation.

Well, except for one.

"Such an awful weather, ne Kuni-kun?"

Tezuka turned to look at his calm grandmother who was currently concentrated on peeling her banana. "Aa."

"A bad omen," she declared nonchalantly.

Tezuka remained silent.

"I wonder how Sakuno's doing. She's home alone right now, isn't she?" she whispered, watching her grandson's expression, which cracked for a split moment, from the corner of her eye.

"She is."

"Aa."

Without another word, the Seigaku captain carefully stacked all the empty rice bowls from the table, gathered them up, and pushed back his chair to head towards the kitchen.

"Kuni-kun, will you kindly check if the local store has my favourite banana chips?" Tezuka stopped in his tracks and turned to his grandmother who spoke loud enough for everyone to hear this time.

"Kaa-san, we still have some in the cupboard," Ayako supplied.

The old woman popped the end of the fruit in her mouth, "The limited edition's out right now, and that's what I want," she said with finality. She looked up and met her grandson's amused gaze, "Kuni-kun, buy me three packs."

* * *

"Ahhh!"

Like an inexperienced skater who first stepped foot in the ice rink, Sakuno fantastically skidded her way in the living room, her hands flailing about, and her entire body moving on its own accord until she slammed on the opposite wall with a loud _thump_. In the next moment, the sound of porcelain breaking into a hundred pieces resounded in the silent Ryuuzaki household.

It was still early in the evening when Sakuno was already prepared to go to bed. There was nothing particularly tiring she did that day, but she had nothing else to do. Tomoka wasn't available because she had to baby-sit. Watching movies was out of the question especially when all that was left in the dvd rack were horror movies (courtesy of Sumire). Her home works were finished, the dishes were washed, and all the other tasks she needed to do were already completed. So she resorted to sleeping early to pass the night.

She would be comfortably under her blankets by now if it weren't for the sudden downpour.

Sitting up from her sprawled position on the floor, she stared horrified at the sight before her. There were puddles all over the living room floor, furniture that now lay as shards on the carpet, and big leaks on the ceiling – the place was a complete mess.

She bit her lip, "Obaa-chan's going to kill me…"

It took her quite some time to put away the broken figurines, mop the floor, and place small buckets under the cracks. The water droplets that landed on the plastic containers created a rhythm that was irritating to Sakuno's ears. But the girl had to bear with it unless she would choose to flood the house by morning.

And much to Sakuno's inner chagrin, the more she dealt with leaks, the more she thought of a certain Seigaku captain. And as far as she knew, they should have been fixed by now. Oh well, even people like her senpai made mistakes, no matter how tiny they are.

Admittedly, the girl didn't like bordering on thoughts that had something to do with Tezuka-senpai because it made her flustered for reasons she didn't know.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another miniature waterfall by the window.

"Mou… I guess I have to settle with a flower pot for now."

And with that, she unlocked the front door, ambled on the covered porch, and crouched down near the shrubberies. Just as she finally poured out the soil in the pot, she stood up… and was greeted with the tall figure of Tezuka standing by her door.

She dropped the flower pot in surprise.

Tezuka's head quickly turned towards her direction.

"Ryuuzaki."

"S-Senpai."

Tezuka and Sakuno gazed at each other for several moments; the boy wondering what in the world happened to his kouhai this time, and the latter wondering what in the world her senpai was doing in her porch at such an ungodly hour.

Uncomfortable with the heightening awkwardness, "Is there something you want, senpai—?"

Sakuno gaped when Tezuka disregarded her question and opened the front door instead.

"W-Wait…!"

But before Sakuno could prevent her senpai from seeing the state of the house, it was too late. Her front door was now fully open, her chaotic living room exposed. Ashamed, Sakuno looked at Tezuka from her peripheral vision and flinched when she saw his eyes narrow considerably.

The sound of the rain echoed in the deathly silence.

"Get your things."

Sakuno snapped her head towards him, "What?"

"You're staying over in my house tonight," he said, looking at Sakuno from the corner of his eye.

All Sakuno could do was gape at her senpai, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "T-That's not necessary, senpai!"

"It is." His tone left no room for arguments.

Sakuno felt hurt. Why can't Tezuka have a little bit of faith in her? "But—"

Suddenly, the lights in the living room began to flicker. Alarmed, Sakuno impulsively entered the house in an attempt to check the light switches, but it went out soon enough, bathing the Ryuuzaki household in darkness.

"Let's go," Tezuka's voice resounded in the dark.

Sakuno blushed. She knew she had to yield.

* * *

"Ryuuzaki."

Turning towards the door, Sakuno found Tezuka standing by the hallway. He was wearing a white cotton shirt and a pair of blue, baggy shorts. Seeing the hailed Seigaku captain in his sleeping clothes made her so uncomfortable that all she could do was blush and stare at him in silence. And the fact that she was going to sleep in his house still generated thoughts that everything was just a dream.

To be honest, Sakuno thought that the Tezuka family would be scary and intimidating – the usual stereotype for her senpai or anything associated with him. Not to mention that the house across hers was enormous and old-fashioned that she even thought that it was owned by a Yakuza group. However, the moment she stepped foot inside the Tezuka household, all her previous thoughts were proven wrong.

Tezuka Ayako was gentle-hearted and sweet. Although she had been surprised to see a twin-braided girl in pajamas tailing after her son, she had welcomed her with open arms. It was she who prepared the guest room and was responsible for the comfy accommodation Sakuno received for the night.

Tezuka Kazuki was the old man of the house. When Sakuno first laid her eyes on him, she thought he was Tezuka-senpai fifty years later, for he carried with him this air of authority and had sharpness in his coal eyes. But when the man's face broke into a big, bright smile and started cracking jokes about Tezuka finally getting a girl, she quickly dismissed her previous thoughts of his being an older version of her senpai.

Tezuka Izumi was a witty sixty-year old, and her interactions with Tezuka amazed Sakuno. The woman was the only person who hadn't been surprised with Sakuno's presence. In fact, when Tezuka informed the old lady that the banana chips never had a limited edition, she merely smiled and said, 'I know'. The conversation between grandmother and grandson baffled Sakuno. But what totally blew her away was her senpai's reaction to that – the Seigaku Iceman actually smiled back.

Up to that moment, she couldn't help but replay the image in her head over and over again.

"Just knock if you need anything."

She suddenly remembered she wasn't alone. Gathering up enough courage, she looked up and smiled softly, "Thank you, senpai."

"Good night," was all he said before he went off to his room.

"Good night," she whispered, watching him close his bedroom door across the hall. Then she returned to fixing her futon and arranging the extra pillows in a way that would easily block the sounds of the thunderstorm.

* * *

Lightning struck and the roar of thunder reverberated throughout the night.

He stared blankly at the ceiling. No matter how hard he tried to drift off to sleep, it evaded him like the plague. He knew that the thunderstorm played a part, but he was fully aware that it also had something to do with the person sleeping in the room just across his. It puzzled him why after Sumire left for Qatar, things had been somewhat different.

Tezuka was suddenly broken from his thoughts by a sudden knock on his door. He quickly got up from bed to open it, only to find Sakuno standing in the hallway. The girl was completely red in the face, her hair sticking out, and her hands were restlessly wringing the hem of her blouse.

"Ryuuzaki."

When she looked up, her eyes widened and the words she intended to say were caught in her throat. It made Tezuka wonder why her kouhai reddened even more but he kept his mouth shut and patiently waited for the girl to state her purpose for dropping by in the middle of the night.

Several more moments of silent staring passed before Sakuno snapped out of it and finally voiced her concern.

"T-The thunderstorm sure is scary... ne, senpai?"

* * *

Although the brand new sleeping arrangements had been settled long ago and the two were now comfortably under their blankets, tension hung thick in the air and Sakuno couldn't find it in herself to drift off to dreamland just yet. For the past minutes, she had unceasingly turned about in bed, thoughts of the thunderstorm no longer her present worry.

It has been several days after Sakuno's interview with Kogane Era, and Sakuno's display of gratitude towards her senpai-tachi, most especially Tezuka had persisted all through-out the week. For the first time in years, Sakuno had dropped by in the tennis courts and watched the Seigaku regulars put their all into practice. Just like the old days, Sakuno watched in awe as everyone showed their newly-developed techniques, which she knew would let them bring home the bacon. After seeing them practice, she had no doubts of their victory. However, she began to doubt whether she was going to be chosen as the lucky one to tag along with senpai-tachi and Ryoma in all the circuits that year. She had been worrying about it for days, and no matter what she did, the growing fear pervaded her thoughts.

After a few moments of internal debate, she finally decided.

Although she had seen the regulars more often, her exchanges with Tezuka had been less frequent since he had been busy preparing Seigaku for the tournaments. She didn't want to bother him in any way, so she took the initiative not to bombard him with her issues. But now the opportunity to finally voice her concern came about, and Sakuno didn't want to miss her chance of putting an end to her anxiety.

After all, it was always Tezuka who sets things straight.

"Senpai...?"

The soft rustling of blankets told her that she had his ears.

"Do you..." Sakuno sighed softly, "Do you think I made it?"

"You just have to believe in yourself."

Sakuno smiled and felt much better at her senpai's reassurance. "Thank you."

There was another ensuing silence.

"Y-You must find my sudden interest towards writing quite random..." It took some flare of courage for Sakuno to gather her thoughts and speak again. She wasn't expecting any response from Tezuka, so she continued, "Even obaa-chan was surprised when she first heard I was going to apply for the school newspaper... She never expected I'd have the streak of writer in me, so she was quite opposed to the idea at first, saying that I'd encounter... certain kinds of people..."

Sakuno didn't know what propelled her to bring up this topic, but the words flowed.

At her abrupt silence, there was another rustle of sheets, an indication for her to continue.

"But she must have realized how important it was to me... that—that I want to prove something... that's why I joined... And so she said she'd support me, pretty much like how she supported me when I wanted to play tennis..." The word 'tennis' brought a small ache to her chest but she ignored it and continued, "But unlike tennis... I feel that I'd make a difference in writing... Unlike tennis which was merely an attempt to make someone notice me..."

The words just kept on going, the emotions buried in her chest all this time yearning for an out.

"But in writing for the paper, I do not mind if the spotlight isn't on me... It's because I feel much more elated to speak about other people's achievements... to let others know that I've witnessed such victories... that I'm lucky enough to be friends with such amazing people..."

And then she stopped.

_What have I been saying? _Sakuno panicked, her cheeks blazing.

"Thank you."

Taken aback at her senpai's response, Sakuno sat up from bed and glanced at Tezuka lying face up who was looking at her with an unexpectedly tender gaze. She reddened even more at the sight, but she was too caught in his gaze that she couldn't bring herself to look away.

_Tezuka-senpai sure looks different without his glasses... _

"Are you scared, Ryuuzaki?"

For a moment, Sakuno thought he was referring to the thunderstorm. But she realized soon after that he was referring to the Newspaper Circle. Admittedly, she was. Her grandmother had been right about meeting certain kinds of people who would bring her down at any given instant. The memory of her encounter with Watannabe Meira in the girl's bathroom suffused in her mind, but the remembrance of her senpai-tachi's sudden appearance when the situation looked bleak washed away her dread.

"No," was her soft reply.

After all, this was for them.

"Who locked you in the bathroom that day?"

Sakuno stilled, her heart beat in frenzy as Tezuka scrutinized her, his lips pulled into a thin line.

"It..."

Sakuno was well aware of her tendency to attract disaster like a magnet. She still remembers how she first met Ryoma, and although he had not meant to save her from the high school boys, she was still grateful to what he had done. Countless times someone would come to her aid and all she could do was offering them bento as repayment.

"...I didn't see any faces, senpai... They were wearing masks."

Perhaps just this once, she could spare someone the trouble of saving her.

Tezuka watched her quietly, gauging her expression.

She tried to look dejected, and then smiled, "But there's nothing to worry about anymore... I don't think it will happen again."

_Tezuka-senpai doesn't have room to worry about me anymore... The tournaments are near. Watannabe will learn her lesson soon enough..._

"Don't let your guard down," he said, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Yeah," she smiled and lay back down in bed. "You too."

Tezuka turned on his side, a small smile on his face. "Aa."

"I'll be there to write about Seigaku's win," Sakuno whispered with a hopeful look on her face before her eyes gradually fluttered close.

* * *

When Sakuno woke up the next morning, it took some time for her to recover from her confusion and remember that she slept in Tezuka-senpai's room. Turning to the side, she saw her senpai folding the futon he had slept in. She also noticed that he had his eyeglasses back on.

"Good morning, senpai," she said rather shyly as she sat up from bed.

Tezuka turned to her and took in the sight of Sakuno's dishevelled look and the flush on her face, "Good morning."

Recollecting last night's events, most especially the warm welcome she received from Tezuka's family, Sakuno thought that nothing would go wrong the moment she stepped out of her senpai's room. But how mistaken she was when she came face to face with an unfamiliar well-dressed man in the hallway the moment she opened her senpai's bedroom door.

No one moved from their spot as both merely gazed at the other in surprise.

It was only when Tezuka appeared behind the doorway when the man came back to his senses.

"Kunimitsu. What is the meaning of this?"

It had been a struggle explaining things to Tezuka's father when he would spurt sceptical statements in between sentences, but things were eventually cleared out when Ayako, Kazuki, and Izumi came to their aid not long after. Breakfast in the Tezuka household had been generally good (save for Kazuki's jokes about Tezuka and her) that it almost made her forget they had school that morning. After taking a shower, she quickly put on the uniform Ayako had so kindly gotten for her, and met up with Tezuka in the living room where he had waited. Several minutes later, both Tezuka and Sakuno were walking side by side to Seigaku.

* * *

"S-Stop staring at me like that."

Sakuno tried her best to suppress the redness creeping on her face by looking away, but to no avail, her blush worsened for she was met with more curious gazes from passers-by. She decided it was better to face the wrath of her best friend than being eye-to-eye with people who seem to hunger for any interesting developments in campus.

"You slept in Tezuka-senpai's house last night."

"...Yeah."

"You slept in his _room—_"

"Shhh! N-Not too loud, Tomo-chan."

"You walked with Tezuka-senpai to school this morning."

"I-I know."

"_I_ was supposed to walk with you to school this morning."

"I'm sorry."

And then Tomoka stopped in her tracks, turned to face Sakuno with a goofy grin on her face. "Oh hush, Sakuno-chan. There's no need to apologize. Do you think really think I'd stand in the way of two lovebirds?"

Sakuno blushed. "W-We're not lovebirds! He-He just invited me over because my house was leaking, and I'm so grateful to him and his family for letting me in, and well, I kind of imposed on him to make me sleep in his room because of the awful thunderstorm and I couldn't sleep—"

"Whoa! Calm down, Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka giggled heartily. "You're so defensive!"

"B-Because I know what you're thinking right now," Sakuno puffed her cheeks as a sign of frustration, but this only made Tomoka burst into another fit of giggles. "Tomo-chan!"

"Alright, alright! It's just that it's so amusing seeing you so flustered. The last time I saw you like this was when you still liked Ryoma-sama," Tomoka mused, remaining unaware of Sakuno's growing discomfort and darkening cheeks.

"I just don't like it when Tezuka-senpai's bothered with such nonsense..." Sakuno said softly, her eyes flitting towards the direction of the tennis courts. "I hope he's handling this better than I am."

* * *

The tennis club was no good as well. All due to the members' incessant chatter, everyone was asked to run 15 laps around campus. But this only gave everyone opportunity to talk about the issue even more. Everyone broke into small groups, discussing their own versions and thoughts about the matter.

"Did Tezuka really enter school with Ryuuzaki-chan this morning?" Eiji asked.

"100 percent. Even if I wasn't there to see it myself, there were a lot of witnesses," Inui replied, "Ask Fuji."

Fuji smiled and nodded, "They were holding hands and kissing when they entered the gates."

"WHAT!?"

He chuckled at the regulars' aghast expression, "I was kidding."

Everyone threw him deathly glares.

"Tsk. We're talking about such useless things instead of practicing tennis," Kaidoh muttered.

"Shut up, mamushi. If I know, you're also curious about what's going on between buchou and Ryuuzaki," Momoshiro quipped, and then turned to look at the silent Echizen. "Ne, Ryoma?"

Ryoma returned the gaze blankly, "Whatever."

"It's not good to talk about Tezuka and Ryuuzaki like this. Just imagine what sensei would say when she finds out what we're doing," Oishi remarked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"And it's not our place to say such things when Tezuka's merely taking responsibility over Ryuuzaki at sensei's absence," Kawamura added, which silenced further comments about the two.

"By the way… there's penalty for the last person who comes back to the courts," Inui said, casually breaking the awkward silence.

And so began the rampage in Seigaku.

* * *

Upon return in the tennis courts, the Seigaku tennis club was surprised to see players in white and blue-colored jackets talking to Tezuka. At closer proximity, the club realized it was Hyotei. Although the line-up of players hadn't changed, the physique of Hyoutei's regulars had considerably improved which made them emit such a dangerous and intimidating aura. But as expected of Seigaku's hailed tennis captain, he stood his ground and kept his cool.

"What's happening, Tezuka?" Oishi asked as soon as the regulars reached Tezuka and came to back him up.

"They're requesting for a practice game," Tezuka replied impassively.

"But I thought unofficial matches between participants of the tournaments aren't allowed?" Fuji regarded the Hyoutei team.

"Atobe asked permission from the council, and they agreed," Oshitari responded, unflinchingly returning Fuji's firm gaze.

"Tezuka..." Oishi started, eyeing the contemplative captain.

"I'm sorry, but we won't play you today," Tezuka's tone left no room for arguments. "I can't risk my team to sport injuries before the official tournament."

"As expected," Shishido muttered, looking very much disgruntled as they walked away from the courts and headed back to their bus. "It was useless going here."

Choutaro smiled, "Ah well, it was worth a shot."

"Also, they don't seem to have any special training or whatsoever," Gakuto chuckled.

"It would be stupid to underestimate them," Oshitari replied, his eyes on alert for a particular narcissist. "But Atobe sure is an idiot."

* * *

"Atobe-san."

Sakuno was stunned to see Atobe Keigo standing in her way towards the Newspaper Circle office. Ignoring the probing glances he was receiving from the passers-by, he continued to innocuously smile at her, a bouquet of red roses in his hands.

"Hello, Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno turned red and fidgeted with her sling bag when the boy began to walk towards her, his eyes never leaving her face.

"W-What are you doing here, Atobe-san?"

"It's nice to visit Seigaku once in a while," he smiled charismatically, handing out the bouquet of roses he carried with him once he stood in front of Sakuno. "For a charming young lady who was kind enough to help Ore-sama in a moment of crisis."

In spite of herself, Sakuno smiled softly and accepted the flowers, "Thank you... Though I hardly think that being chased by girls is a crisis."

"Ah well, you still helped Ore-sama, did you not?" he chuckled, inserting his hands in his pants pocket.

"It was nothing," she insisted and smiled.

Sakuno was aware of the growing attention they were receiving, and as much as she wanted to chat with Atobe longer, she didn't want to give the student body another reason to gossip about her. Moreover, she was going to be late for the meeting.

"Atobe-san—"

"Ore-sama heard you're part of your school newspaper?" Atobe asked, raising one perfect eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah," Sakuno stuttered, rather taken aback. "How did you know?"

"Ore-sama has his sources," he replied, still smiling. "Ore-sama expects to see you soon then?" At Sakuno's bewildered expression, Atobe can't help but laugh and pat her head, "At the tournaments of course. You'll be covering the matches, aren't you? With that, ore-sama expects to see his name in Seigaku's paper. Hyoutei will defeat Seigaku after all."

"Seigaku won't lose," Sakuno said firmly, looking at Atobe with fire in her eyes.

"Ore-sama's glorious school won't easily be defeated this time," he smirked and pulled his hand back from the crown of her head. "Nevertheless, it was nice seeing you again, Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno merely nodded, still quite offended at Atobe's sudden declarations.

"Ore-sama hopes to see you again. Later." Atobe smiled at Sakuno one last time before walking away.

* * *

As Sakuno proceeded in her transit to the Newspaper Circle office, she was preoccupied with a mixture of pleasant, irritating, and bewildering thoughts. After mindlessly turning the knob of the door, she stepped inside the room, unaware of the stares she was receiving from the rest of the board. It was only when she took her usual seat in the front when she felt the thickness of the atmosphere.

"Ryuuzaki..." Ayame greeted from her seat, a small smile on her face. "Don't worry about it... I'm sure you'll make a fine Opinion editor."

That caused Sakuno to snap out of it and regard everything for the first time since she entered.

"W-What?" Sakuno's blood ran cold.

"Haven't you seen the list yet?" Ayame asked, her eyes wide.

Sakuno quickly stood up from her chair and headed outside the office. Approaching the bulletin board where she first saw her name posted, Sakuno paled the moment her eyes fell upon the list.

_News Editor: Masuda Toshiro_

_Literary Editor: Natsume Ayame_

_Features Editor: Wattanabe Meira_

_Sports Editor: Misora Aki_

_Layout Editor: Otake Kumi_

_Opinion Editor: Ryuuzaki Sakuno_

_Chief Cartoonist: Igahara Hikari_

_Chief Photojournalist: Uchimura Yuka_

**Editorial Board of the Newspaper Circle**

"I win," came an unexpected proclamation from behind her. Still overridden with shock, all Sakuno could do was watch Watannabe Meira enter the office with a triumphant smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: **Finally updated, woot! It'd be nice to hear your thoughts on this. What do you think will happen next? Hopefully, you enjoyed the various character interactions in this chapter. It was difficult writing the Tezuka household part, but I guess it turned out okay. Reviews are very much appreciated. **(:))**


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